CANMORE – The Canmore Wolverines' master plan to head to provincials was spoiled by snakes and cryptids.
The senior girls volleyball team's season wrapped up with a fourth place finish at zones last Saturday (Nov. 16) in High River, but for many on the team, the season ended following its second last game of the tournament.
The Wolverines didn’t get off to the hot start it wanted to at zones, losing in three sets to the Cochrane Cobras in the opening match. The loss was a major blow and put the girls on a crash course with the Springbank Phoenix in the semifinals – the juggernaut the Wolverines was trying to avoid until the finals.
The two zone finalists earn a provincial tournament berth each year, so matchups are critical throughout the bracket.
“That semis game means so much,” said Darren Anderson, Wolverines head coach. “Our goal every year is to make provincials.”
The Wolverines matched with the undiserable semis fate the team wanted to evade. The mighty Phoenix, a “lights out” team, overwhelmed the Wolverines and ended Canmore's provincial hopes in two sets. The Phoenix won zones by defeating the Cobras.
“We knew they were really strong and knew they weren’t invincible, but in the semis they played unreal,” Anderson said. “We didn’t give up a lot of unforced errors, but they were scoring two to three points for every one of ours per set.”
Anderson said the loss “took a little bit of gas out of us” and it landed the senior girls in the bronze medal game against the Olds Spartans.
“For the seniors, they only had one game left in the season and for some it was their last volleyball game ever. It got pretty emotional,” said Anderson.
The Wolverines lost in three sets against Spartans, which "wanted it more" in the end, said Anderson.
“We were emotionally drained and physically drained and there wasn’t much left here to give, but we still wanted to push, but Olds wanted it more … I’m proud of everybody this season.”
After the game, the long time head coach of the program said he was stepping away from the senior girls team in order to coach the junior girls squad and “follow that group back up to senior.”
“It was a bit [of an] emotional end when the girls found out and some were a bit disappointed," Anderson said. "It's never easy … my focus will be on my family and to spend more time with family."