Spartans' provincial hopes fall on the weekend

The Strathcona-Tweedsmuir Spartans (STS) Senior girls volleyball team can be compared to the Calgary Stampeders and its Grey Cup run.

They both had highly-successfully seasons but came up flat in the finale.

The Spartans finished in fourth at the 2A high school girls provincials at Rimbey on Nov. 22-24. They lost the bronze medal game to the Spirit River Renegades in two straight sets (15-25, 19-25).

“We were surprised to see Spirit River in the bronze medal game,” Spartans coach Michelle Bartoshyk said. “It was a real back and forth game but Spirit River closed us out in two.

“We played with a lot of tenacity and enthusiasm but Spirit River plays such great defence that you have to hit the ball four or five times to get the kill. They also hit the ball well.”

Bartoshyk said she was stunned to be playing the Renegades in the bronze medal match because STS and the Renegades were the top ranked teams going into the tourney, and the Spartans coach assumed Spirit River would be in the final.

STS seemed destined for the finals as they rolled through pool play with a perfect 5-0 record on Nov. 22-23. However, unlike Loverboy, For the Spartans things just weren’t working for the weekend.

The Spartans, who finished first in their pool, lost to the Vegreville Queens in the provincial semifinal Saturday morning in three sets (17-25, 25-22, 13-15).

The Queens, who have been a provincial power for a decade, finished second in the other pool.

“We had a tough Saturday and we ended up losing to Vegreville by two points in the third set,” Bartoshyk said. “We were actually leading 11-8 but one of their girls got on a serving roll. We passed well, but we just couldn’t put the ball away.”

The Queens rattled off six straight points and by the time the Spartans got the serve back, they were down 14-12. They were able to cut the lead to 14-13, when a Spartan side-out gave Vegreville the 15-13 victory in the deciding set.

Bartoshyk said while it is disappointing not to come home from the provincials with a medal, wins and losses aren’t how she measures success.

“I don’t think winning or losing defines a season,” Bartoshyk said. “The girls have had so many opportunities on and off the court to grow as players. We have had a lot of successes this season. To finish fourth in the province in 2A is nothing to be disappointed about.

“The girls carried themselves well and played their very best. I don’t think any coach can be disappointed with that.”

The Spartans did plenty of winning this year. They were South Central Zone champion, regained the Foothills Athletic Council title and won the prestigious Western Canadian Independent School volleyball championship in Vancouver in October. The Spartans will likely have plenty of success in the future.

Although they will miss the leadership of graduating players Kate MacFarlane and Arielle Beauchesne, the bulk of the team will be back. They include big hitters Ciara Hanly and Michaela Ostlund and setter Kenzie Walker.

“We also have a lot of good players coming up from our junior programs,” Bartoshyk said. “I think the future of girls volleyball at Strathcona-Tweedsmuir will be healthy for years to come.”

Vauxhall won the provincial championship by downing Vegreville in the final.