By Joel van der Veen

LOREBURN — A U18 girls club volleyball team drawing players from throughout the district capped their season with a win at a provincial championship last weekend.

On April 24, the Loreburn Impact 18U defeated the Saskatoon Connex 17U following three sets (25-21, 25-27 and 15-8) to take the gold medal in the Division 2, Tier III event in the 2016 Conexus Provincial Volleyball Championships.

Tony Baldwin, who coached the team with Laurice Vollmer and Karen McConnell, said the team’s roster included players from throughout the district, including Imperial, Davidson, Outlook, Loreburn, Dinsmore and Rosetown.

Though there were a total of 10 players, the team rarely had all players present for its tournaments, as most were involved in other activities including basketball, hockey, wrestling and badminton.

“Lots of them are multi-sport athletes,” said Baldwin, noting that the core of the team had played together before, though several new players joined this season.

The coach said the club team was formed with the goal of allowing the girls to enjoy the game, improve their skills and meet new friends, with winning being of secondary importance.

“They’re making friends and having fun, and that’s the goal,” he said. “We were entirely successful on that front. . . That’s the beauty of small-town club volleyball.”

The team competed mostly in tournaments, taking part in six such events, along with a single exhibition game in Rosetown and the provincial event, which ends their season.

All 10 were present for the division final on April 24, and Baldwin said he was pleased with the end result.

Local players on the team included Kaitlyn Baldwin of Davidson, Jacey Sanden and Lynzey Sanden from Loreburn, and Sarah Joa and Harper Rae from Imperial.

Also on the roster were Nikki Larson from Outlook, Kailyn Jensen and Jocelyn Thorpe from Dinsmore, and Chloe Montreuil and Naomi Hanna from Rosetown.