BANFF – Banff vs. Canmore: it’s the Bow Valley rivalry local high school athletes look forward to each season.
With the stakes that much higher in the bronze medal game at the Banff senior boys volleyball tournament, the Bears defeated the Canmore Wolverines in three sets (25-22, 18-25, 15-13) to claim hardware at their home tournament last weekend (Oct. 20-21).
“Those are the most fun ones [to play],” said Banff middle blocker Macsen Hempstead. “No one wants to lose and it feels a hell of a lot better when you win.”
#Banff Bears senior boys volleyball team won bronze at their home tournament, Oct. 20-21. The Bears defeated the Canmore Wolverines in three sets. pic.twitter.com/T9IzPHGxVO
— Jordan Small (@jordiesmall) October 22, 2023
Just before the bronze medal game, the Bears lost to the West Island College Wolves of Calgary, which was their only defeat of the tournament.
Banff coach Michael Geertsema said it was disappointing to lose like that, but great to see the team rally and pull it together against the Wolverines.
“Skill-wise they have exceeded all expectations. It’s been amazing,” said Geertsema.
A week earlier, the Bears had some Olympic-sized help when Banff’s Pearce Eshenko joined the team for practice. Standing six-foot-eight, Eshenko and the men’s indoor national team recently qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“It was so amazing to have him come out and work with the boys,” said Geertsema, who coached Eshenko back in his Grade 9 year. “We took advantage of his net presence and we worked a lot of blocking with him and I hope the guys took a lot from him.”
Going 11-3 in sets at the tournament, Banff eliminated Canmore’s Our Lady of the Snows (OLS) Avalanche in the first game of the playoffs. In the semifinals, the Bears lost to the Wolves in three sets and the Wolverines lost to the Springbank Phoenix, setting up the game for bronze.
In the early moments of the first set, the Bears and Wolverines traded points until the hometown team inched ahead with a 10-6, forcing a Canmore timeout to talk about things. From there, the Bears added to its lead, capitalizing on unforced errors to gain an 18-10 advantage.
But just as Banff was closing in on a first set victory, the momentum swung rapidly in favour of the frustrated Wolverines, who went on a 12-6 run. On set point, a rally concluded with Bears’ Hempstead’s mighty jumping spike being blocked, but it set up a quick bump pass to the hitter whose soft volley fell down onto the Wolverines’ court to win the first set.
Despite the first set loss, momentum was with the Wolverines in the second. The first 10 points for each team were evenly matched until the Wolverines grabbed control and pulled ahead. The visitors won 25-18, setting up the final set.
Early on, the Bears benefitted from a broken play, which saw the hometown boys scrambling to make something out of nothing. When the ball dropped in Canmore’s court, it helped Banff steal back some confidence they sorely needed.
The teams traded points until Banff took an 8-7 lead and then the hometown boys began breaking away. The final score was 15-13.
“That kind of gives everyone a new wave of confidence,” said Hempstead. “It gets everyone’s morale up and that’s a sweet feeling to have, especially in the home tourney.”
Zones, the big volleyball tournament of the year, will take place at OLS, Nov. 17-18.
The #Banff Bears’ game winning point against the Canmore Wolverines to take bronze at their senior volleyball tournament, Oct. 20-21. pic.twitter.com/nYLu8yACjy
— Jordan Small (@jordiesmall) October 22, 2023
