The Mark R. Isfeld Ice senior boys volleyball team have qualified for the provincial championships by finishing in second place at the AA Vancouver Island championship tournament this past weekend.
"Coming into this we knew it was going to be a fight,” Ice coach Wayne Della Siega said. "Our team has been plagued by injuries and with three of our starters hurt, digging deep within is our only option.”
This is exactly what the host team did. Friday saw exciting matches played in front of the hometown crowd as the Ice beat Ballenas in the first match 25-15,25-15, lost by a slim margin to Lambrick Park in a nail-biter 26-28, 25-17, 20-22, and out of gas dropped their last match to Royal Bay 21-25, 21-25 to finish out the day ranked third in their four-team pool.
Saturday morning saw Isfeld in action against Parkland from Victoria. The Ice came out flying and defeated Parkland in two sets; 25-17, 25-14, to move onto the semifinals against Lambrick Park for a rematch.
"We need this win to guarantee our berth to the B.C.’s and the team is ready for the fight,” Della Siega said. With the stands packed with cheering spectators, the Ice took the first set in a commanding fashion 25-17.
The second set proved to be a barn burner with point for point play with the Ice capturing the win 25-22 as the gym erupted in realization that Mark R. Isfeld have cinched a spot in the B.C.’s.
However the team was not done yet as they had to prepare for the gold medal match against #8 ranked Pacific Christian School. Both teams came ready to play and put on a great show of volleyball, but the Ice lost the match 27-29, 17-25, 25-23, 18-25 to finish in second place on the Island.
The team will now be working hard to represent their school and the North Island at the B.C.’s in Langley Nov. 29 - Dec. 3. The team thanks the Mark R. Isfeld administration, students, and community supporters for getting behind them and making this years AA Island Championships a memorable experience.