By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — All season long, the Davidson/Loreburn RaiTec have been proving over and over again that they’ve got what it takes.

Last weekend, they got to prove it on the provincial stage.

The senior girls volleyball team capped a successful season with a win in the 2A provincial championships at Porcupine Plain on Nov. 20 and 21, defeating Invermay in the final on Saturday night to claim the title.

Close competition made it a tight victory for the RaiTec, with coach Tony Baldwin saying the girls’ team spirit was a major factor in their success.

“They supported each other right to the end,” he said. “These guys were just rock-solid teammates for each other, all 14 of them . . . They deserved to win.”

After winning at regionals in Arcola the previous weekend, Baldwin and his fellow coaches had high hopes for the RaiTec in Porcupine Plain.

The girls began the weekend with round-robin play on Friday afternoon, defeating Langham (25-13 and 25-20), the host team (25-18 and 25-21) and St. Walburg (25-14 and 25-20) in Pool A.

The RaiTec met a stronger challenge in their final round-robin game in Kelvington on Saturday morning, losing two straight sets to Invermay (25-16 and 25-23).

Baldwin said the girls had had the chance to watch the team in action the night before and sought to anticipate the oncoming attack.

“We tried to do some tinkering with the defence,” he said, taking the blame in retrospect for what he called “a coaching error on my part.”

The team quickly recovered from its disappointment, returning to Porcupine Plain in the afternoon for playoffs and defeating Kerrobert in two sets to advance (25-23 and 25-20).

A win over Foam Lake in two sets in the semifinal (25-10 and 25-21) qualified the RaiTec for the gold-medal game.

Baldwin said that power Maddy Vollmer’s performance was a highlight of those matches, observing, “They couldn’t get a block on her . . . It was the Maddy Vollmer show, it was amazing.”

The RaiTec were up against Invermay in the final, in which Baldwin said they returned to a full-on offensive strategy: “just pound the ball at ‘em and see what happens.”

He said the RaiTec’s back-row defence especially shone during those sets, as well as Jacey Sanden’s setting.

The RaiTec also benefitted from having five Grade 12 players, compared to just one Grade 12 on the Invermay team.

Even so, the teams appeared to be evenly matched. The RaiTec won the first set 25-22, while Invermay won the second 30-28.

Baldwin said his team took a significant lead in the third set. This was interrupted by a lengthy stop in play due to confusion over Invermay’s rotation, after which the team was able to narrow the gap considerably.

“We really had everybody firing, and they did too,” said Baldwin. “There were hits that we couldn’t even get close to. . . We gave ‘em the same thing right back.”

The RaiTec surged ahead toward the end, with Jackie Losie making the final successful serve that resulted in a 25-19 victory.

Sharing coaching duties with Baldwin were Karen McConnell and Hallie Vollmer, while Sandra Baldwin served as manager.

Graduating from the team this year are Grade 12 students Maddie Vollmer, Karissa Rendall, Jacey Sanden, Kaitlyn Baldwin and Jackie Losie.

By Joel van der Veen

ARCOLA — A tight win over some close friends was enough to give the RaiTec the title at south-east regional playoffs in Arcola last weekend.

The Davidson/Loreburn senior girls volleyball team defeated Kahkewistahaw in a best-of-three match to finish on top on Nov. 14.

The RaiTec girls lost in the first set (25-15), but recovered to claim the two following sets (25-23 and 25-20) and thus the victory.

While pleased with the win, coach Tony Baldwin said he believed the team had fallen out of its groove after defeating Hanley in the semi-final (25-8 and 25-14).

“We kind of lost our focus after the provincial qualifier game,” he said, adding that it wasn’t until the third set against Kahkewistahaw that the team got “rolling” again.

In round-robin play, the RaiTec defeated Wolseley (25-16 and 25-15) before playing Milestone, winning the first set 25-17 and then posting a 25-2 win in the second, in what Baldwin called a highlight of the day.

“The girls were just perfect,” he said of their performance in the second set, noting that such scores are generally “unheard of at that level of competition.”

The RaiTec were headed to 2A provincial championships in Porcupine Plain on Nov. 20 and 21, along with teams from Langham, Invermay, St. Walburg, Pierceland, Kerrobert, Foam Lake, Asquith and Kahkewistahaw.

Baldwin said he was optimistic about their chances, noting that they had faced several of those teams earlier in the season and had not lost to any of them.

If the girls could keep up the level of play they have maintained this season, he said he expected they would go “deep, deep, deep into the playoffs.”

Baldwin, who coaches the team along with Karen McConnell and Hallie Vollmer, said he continues to be amazed by the girls’ record of achievement. Since last year, the RaiTec has won 15 out of the last 16 tournaments or similar events in which the team has played.

The coach said this is especially impressive given the increased level of play in Saskatchewan volleyball over the last several years, which he attributed to a growth in both club ball and school programs.

Baldwin has high praise for the players themselves, saying he and the other coaches are lucky to have them and they’re lucky to have each other.

He added that the team’s camaraderie is genuine and that the girls stay away from social drama, allowing them to concentrate on playing the best game they can.

“They’re a real focused group of kids,” he said, adding with a laugh, “I can’t stop talking about them.”

For the full story, please see the Nov. 23 edition of The Davidson Leader.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — It’s seven in a row for the RaiTec senior girls volleyball team, but don’t think of calling it a lucky streak.

Rather, said manager Sandra Baldwin, it’s a combination of skill, consistency and commitment that has helped the team achieve so much success this season.

“We are able to set the pace for a game, and then maintain that pace,” she said. “They’re willing to work hard and stay focused.”

The RaiTec team — a co-op between Davidson and Loreburn — has won seven tournaments in a row, starting with a home tournament held the weekend of Sept. 11 and 12.

This was followed by wins in Porcupine Plain, Beechy, Assiniboia, Hanley and Humboldt, and culminated with a victory at a tournament in Outlook on the weekend of Oct. 23 and 24.

The RaiTec team includes six Grade 10 players, three from Grade 11 and five Grade 12s. Baldwin said the mix of ages has contributed to a healthy balance.

She also said the girls have stood firm even when falling behind, continuing to play their game, chipping away and, more often than not, coming out with a win.

The older players have brought strong leadership, while Baldwin said the team has a “deep bench” with all players displaying strengths.

Tony Baldwin, who coaches the team along with teacher Karen McConnell and intern Hallie Vollmer, said he’s excited about the team’s success for several reasons.

“These girls are at least as strong as they were last year,” he said, adding that he’s pleased to see the two schools coming together co-operatively.

For the full story, please see the Nov. 2 edition of The Davidson Leader.