The Comox Valley Strikers 17U boys won the bronze medal at the Island volleyball championships in Nanaimo.
On April 14, their first match was against Nanaimo White (17U) – a team the Comox boys had been unable to beat all season.
The teams matched each other point for point. Although Comox pulled ahead, Nanaimo caught up and tied the set at 15. Comox persisted and with some big hits by Braydon Brouwer and setter Tristan MacLean won the set 25-20.
In the second set, strong hitting by Alex and Sam Kussauer, along with Brouwer, gave Comox a strong lead. Consistent passing by Chris Dodd in the back row combined with effective blocking by Mac Gold and Spencer McDougall up front saw Comox take the second set 25-16 for the team’s first win against Nanaimo.
In their second game, Comox faced the Victoria 17U boys. The Strikers took an early lead and held it for the duration of the first set. David Bouwers was brought in for back row support and scored the winning point to take the set 25-18. The second set saw a persistent Victoria team tie the game at 18 and then again at 21. Although a tiebreak looked imminent, the Comox boys pulled together and took the set 25-22.
After losing their third match of the day to Nanaimo Black (18U), the Strikers moved on to the bronze medal match where they again met up with Nanaimo White. Jared Collin took on setting duties and the team took a strong 6-0 lead. Although Nanaimo worked hard and started a comeback, Comox pulled ahead again and won the first set 25-20.
Evenly matched at the start of the second set, Comox chipped away one point at a time. The combination of clean passing, strong hitting and consistent setting was too much for Nanaimo. Although they fought back, it wasn’t enough and Comox took the set 25-23, earning them third place on the Island in the 17/18U Boys division.
The boys will continue training with coaches Mike Fulmore and Riley MacKinnon in preparation for the Arpil 27-28 Provincial championships in Abbotsford.
– Comox Valley Strikers