Nyla Knodel swings for an attack in the first set of Hat High's championship match against the McCoy Colts on Thursday. The Hawks would win in two straight sets to capture the SEZVL championship. -- NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
It took two close sets in the finals, but the Hat High Hawks Sr. girls volleyball team sit atop the South East Zone Volleyball League.
The Hawks beat the McCoy Colts in two straight back-and-forth sets in Thursday night’s league championship final by scores of 25-23 and 25-20.
Hawks head coach Jarrett Bardal says he’s proud of how his team battled back from behind McCoy early en route to the win.
“Absolutely thrilled we got the win, we’ve set small goals throughout the season and this was one of the stepping stones to take us into zones,” Bardal said. “Super proud of the girls that we met all of our team goals during the game and ultimately we got the result we wanted.”
Hat High finished the regular season in first place with a 4-0 record while facing adversity in the form of multiple injuries and concussions through the year. The Hawks qualified for zones next weekend in Lethbridge
“One of the strengths of our team is that we just never quit and we push through that diversity and I couldn’t be more proud of the way that they handled themselves,” Bardal said.
McCoy coach Taylyn Weisgerber says she’s proud of her team in the loss and throughout the season. The Colts finished second on the season and have also qualified for zones.
“The girls did very well, I was very proud of them,” Weisberger said. “They went out and they fought hard, left everything out on the court. Unfortunately we did fall short, but I couldn’t be any more proud of the girls and how far they’ve come this season.”
Weisgerber added her team showed amazing improvement over the year on and off the court.
“Most of them knew each other before but we had some new girls to the team,” said Weisgerber. “They also did very well mentoring some Grade 10’s we carried on the team to kind of shape and mold them. So, the girls developed socially as a team and their skills as well.”
