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Highland leaves it all on the floor at Island volleyball championships

The Highland senior girls team ended their season by playing their best volleyball of the year, Nov. 26-27 at the AA Island Championships at John Barsby in Nanaimo.
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Coach Brian Stevens is pictured with the Highland senior girls volleyball team. Photo supplied

The Highland senior girls team ended their season by playing their best volleyball of the year, Nov. 26-27 at the AA Island Championships at John Barsby in Nanaimo.

The Raiders lost 15-12 in the third set in the first game against No. 3 north seed Kwalikum. The girls then faced the top team from the south, Pacific Christian School, a strong team with a few key attackers. Highland put on a defensive show the first set, playing their best volleyball of the season and taking it 25-22. But the fell flat and lost the second 25-16.

“We went to a third set knowing we had nothing to lose,” coach Brian Stevens said. “This was the top team in the south, we had lost our previous three matches in three sets, so now it was time to win a match in three sets. It was an absolute joy to watch the team dig the deepest I’ve seen them dig this season, and play their hearts out.”

Highland was the first to eight points, so they dictated the switching of sides.

“We really began stopping their main attackers and forced them to second guess their shots,” Stevens said. “As a unit, we truly rallied together and played a 100 per cent team match, beating PCS 15-11 in the third set. Everybody went nuts, including the fans and other teams who were watching.”

In the third and final match, Highland beat Shawnigan Lake in two games. The result was a three-way tie for first between Highland, PCS and Kwalikum. It came down to points for and against, and Highland lost out to first by seven points.

The next match was an elimination against rival Barsby, with the winner advancing to semis and a chance to reach provincials. Everything flowed for Highland in the first set, which they won 25-18.

The second set was tougher as two Barsby servers went on a few runs to build a solid lead and force a third set. The first half was back and forth until a Barsby server went on a five-point run en route to victory.

“We have had such a great rivalry against Barsby over the years… healthy competition,” Stevens said. “This was evident when we realized that was our last game of the season, and the last high school volleyball game ever for the seniors. Several of our players were visibly upset, and the Barsby players came under the net to give us hugs and be supportive of us in the moment. In all of my decades coaching volleyball, this is the first time I have ever experienced something like that. This embodied both the human spirit and spirit of sport. The coach of Barsby, a friend of mine, took a selfie with all of us and it was immediately the talk of the tournament.”

Six team members are graduating this year: MacKenzie Stevens, Cassandra Campbell, Daelyn Kroon, Ella West, Gabrielle Morfitt and Ruby Van Holderbeke.

Highland held a ‘Senior’s Night’ a few weeks ago, hosting Isfeld and Vanier, and recognizing all the seniors for their time and effort playing at Highland. Each member received a letterman patch and flowers from their parents.

“It was truly a special moment that each of our seniors will remember forever,” Stevens said.