The sa国际传媒 high school volleyball championships take on a new format for the quadruple-A senior girls, with the defending champion Belmont Bulldogs looking forward to the change. Ultimately, though, they want to see the same result 鈥� defence of their 2016 title.
Belmont is one of 16 girls teams joining the senior boys for the first time at the Big Kahuna tournament, which begins play today at the Langley Events Centre for the triple-A and double-A boys and Thursday for the quadruple-A girls.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 exciting,鈥� said Belmont coach Mike Toakley. 鈥淲e鈥檙e looking forward to how that all pans out, as to whether the boys will dominate and the girls become a sidebar to the boys, because it鈥檚 always been their show. Or whether it鈥檚 because we鈥檙e the new kids in town that a lot of extra attention will come our way.鈥�
Either way, the Bulldogs want to be the last team standing when the gold medals and school banner is handed out.
Belmont, the No. 1 seed, begins play Thursday at 9 a.m. versus Heritage Woods.
鈥淪ince the ball hit the court at the end of the last point, last year, it鈥檚 been about wanting to come back and do it again. It鈥檚 been a year-long process, sort of like the Calgary Stampeders and look what happened to them,鈥� said Toakley, who enters the event cautiously, but optimistically.
鈥淲e have to go in believing that we have to play our best and be prepared for what teams bring. You come in with that X on your back, but it鈥檚 been like that all season,鈥� he said of carrying the title as defending champion.
The Bulldogs were beaten once this season, by Langley Christian at the Red Serge tournament, a match that went a full three sets, with the last finishing 17-15.
鈥淚t showed us that if we do show up unprepared we can be taken down,鈥� said Toakley, whose team departs today for the Mainland. 鈥淲e gave them a chance to get really excited and they did. We took it to a tiebreaker, it was still there to win and we actually served twice to win the match, but the bottom line was they took advantage of the opportunity we gave them and all the power to them. It was a wake-up call which we needed going into this tournament.鈥�
Toakley obviously likes his team鈥檚 chances but, as he states: 鈥淏eing overconfident would be the wrong way to go into this. We recognize that, at some point, we鈥檙e going to be pushed by somebody who brings their A-game.鈥�
Belmont is in Pool A with Seaquam, Moscrop and Heritage Woods. The only other Island team competing is Oak Bay, which won the wildcard tournament last weekend. The Breakers will compete with Semiahmoo, Lord Tweesmuir and Lord Byng.
In triple-A boys鈥� play, an Island representative is situated in all five of the pools with Oak Bay, ranked No. 3 overall, paired up in the top power pool along with Mt. Baker, Delta and Earl Marriott in Pool E. Dover Bay is in Pool F with Okanagan Mission, Mt. Boucherie and Semiahmoo, while Royal Bay is in Pool G with Argyle, Kelowna and Elgin Park.
In Pool H, Claremont is grouped with Van Tech, Sequam and Penticton and Reynolds is in Pool K with Burnaby North, Centennial and David Thompson.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got a good chance,鈥� said Oak Bay coach Al Carmichael. 鈥淲e have a shot to win, but we鈥檙e going to have to play our best because our team is made up of very good athletes, but we don鈥檛 necessarily have the volleyball experience that a lot of these teams have behind them in terms of the number of months they have behind them.
鈥淚 think if we play well we could play with anybody as long as we can maintain our cool and stay in our system. I would like to be in the top four, that鈥檚 the goal. I think if we don鈥檛 make the semifinals that鈥檒l be a disappointment.鈥�
Oak Bay鈥檚 opening match today is against Mt. Baker.
At the double-A level, Gulf Islands is in Pool C with Pacific Christian, W.L. Seaton and Charles Tupper, while Mark Isfeld is in Pool D with Sa-Hali, Langley Fundamental and Smithers.
All medal games will be played Saturday.
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