Stormy weather prevalent in volleyball season

By Greg Price
Taber Times
gprice@tabertimes.com

St. Mary JV Storm girls volleyball has disrupted the weather patterns of opposing teams, continuing on with its winning ways to start its season.

Being a very short season, the Storm play a ton of volleyball in a condensed time frame.

The Storm were victorious in its first two league matches and a tournament this past week.

The first league game was in Coalhurst in which the girls played well for their first time playing together and won the match. On Thursday, the Storm hosted St. Joe’s and won.

“We play triple ball in our County of Lethbridge League, and our girls are working very well to get three contacts on the free ball throw in,” said co-coach Carolyn Siemens.

On the weekend, the Storm traveled to play in Senator Gershaw’s tournament.

“The tournament was regular volleyball, so it speeds the game up from triple ball and it’s always a transition for the kids. I was surprised how well they adjusted to the speed and were able to win both games on Friday night,” said Siemens of victories over Seven Persons and Milk River.

Saturday’s slate proved tougher, as the Storm dropped its first set with Schuler 20-25.

“We had a rough start, and were down by 10, but the girls worked hard to get themselves back into the game. We took the momentum into the second game and were able to beat Schuler 25-14 earning first in our pool,” said Siemens.

In tournament semi-final play, the Storm was able to sweep Alexander Middle School from Medicine Hat.

Advancing to the finals, the Storm faced Irvine.

The Storm eventually started to build after a slow start, being down by eight points, to eventually win 25-17 thanks to 12 solid serves in a row.

“Irvine is a good team and they don’t quit,” said Siemens, adding there was plenty of drama in the second and tournament-clinching set. “The second game was a nail biter, we had them by eight and let them back into the game, it ended up 25-23. I was so proud of the girls for not giving up when they were down, but instead digging in, and working hard to get themselves back into the game.”

The Storm is coached by Melanie Bos and Siemens, and features Grade 7s and 8s.