Vikings set for AAAA volleyball provincials

Sadie Moose was eager for the volleyball season to start.

Then, just two matches in, she was back to the waiting game. The Vincent Massey Vikings middle blocker sprained her ankle back in September in a match against the Virden Golden Bears and had to miss a substantial chunk of the season.

But she’s back and ready to help the Vikings make a run at AAAA junior varsity provincials starting on Thursday in Winnipeg.

“It was really good,” outside hitter Elli Creaser said of Moose’s return. “She brings energy on the court. She’s a really fun person to have with us. She hypes everyone up, and she’s a good swinger too, so that really helps.”

The Vikings lost the final of that tournament to the Golden Bears, then reached the quarterfinals of the Sturgeon Heights Huskies Invitational on Oct. 4.

Massey settled for a fifth place at the JV Viking Classic and finished seventh in Selkirk earlier this month.

The Vikings have had plenty of success in the city league, though. They dropped just one regular-season match to the Neelin Spartans, finishing 3-1 but falling to the No. 2 seed via tiebreaker. They swept the Crocus Plainsmen to reach the best-of-three final and won two road matches, including a wild five-setter in Match 3, to secure the city title.

“I’m really proud of my team for making it this far with lots of injured players,” Moose said.

“We’ve fought really hard as a team for each play, each set, and I’m really proud of how far we’ve come.”

Moose admitted it was hard to wait for her return after anticipating playing a lot this season. But she still did what she could to improve her game while she recovered.

“I knew I had to be a good captain and support my team,” Moose said.

“I’ve been able to see from a different perspective how they play, and I’ve been able to try and learn from it and just learn about how the other team plays as well from watching and sitting on the sidelines and having the ability to do that.”

In the meantime, and even after Moose returned, Creaser has carried the load offensively for the Vikings.

She has been weight training far more than the average JV athlete, and it’s showing, as Creaser is one of the best jumpers in the province. It has translated into her leading her team in scoring more matches than not.

She’s quick to credit those around her for her success.

“It’s everyone putting everything together,” Creaser said. “A good pass leads to a good set, to a good hit.

“Sometimes it’s not working. I swing hard, and I get stuffed and I’m like, ‘What do I do?’ I try to find shots that work.”

The Vikings face the West Kildonan Wolverines on Thursday at 3:15 p.m., then the Dakota Lancers at 5:45 p.m. They close Pool C action against the Kelvin Clippers at 8:15 p.m.

VIKING BOYS CHASE UPSETS

The Viking boys bring a unique look that could throw a few teams off.

Like the Manitoba Bisons men’s team, which swept the Brandon University Bobcats last weekend, they start a left-handed outside hitter in Cohen Folkerts.

The six-foot southpaw typically plays opposite, but head coach Blake Majcher swapped him and Jagger Hansen-Young, in part, to get Folkerts more involved in serve receive.

Hansen-Young happily welcomed the change, since he gets a bigger role in his team’s block defence.

“A big block is a lot more momentum-changing than a big kill, just because when you have a one-on-one, you’re supposed to hit the ball down, but when I can overpower someone, teammates get hyped,” Hansen-Young said, adding Folkerts is one of the toughest outside hitters he’s tried to block.

“It’s very hard to adjust. That’s why I think he’s been playing a lot of left side, and obviously he’s a great passer.”

Folkerts isn’t the only unorthodox lefty in the lineup. Six-foot-one middle blocker Alex Garrioch has solidified himself as a starter along with Berthold Bushidi. Majcher said it’s probably the hardest position for a lefty to play.

“It has been a challenge for our setters, that they’ve had to adapt throughout the year, learning very different sets for each middle we have, but they’ve done a good job adapting to it,” Majcher said.

“It often takes teams a while to figure out Alex’s swing.”

The Vikings are without starting libero Valentyn Gasuliak, who is done for the season with a hand injury.

But having rolled through a number of lineups throughout the season, Majcher feels the group can adapt and players will step up this week.

The Vikings played in the BU varsity boys’ tournament to start the season, struggling on the scoreboard but learning a lot about what they needed to improve moving forward.

They lost in the first round of the playoffs at the Mennonite Brethren tournament, then won their home event, the JV Viking Classic on Oct. 18.

They won three varsity matches at the Spartan Dig before capturing the city crown over the Crocus Plainsmen to secure their spot at provincials.

On Thursday, they face the Mennonite Brethren Hawks at 3:15 p.m., then stay on the court to face the River East Kodiaks at 4:30. They finish Pool C play against the Kelvin Clippers at 7 o’clock.

Both the boys’ and girls’ playoffs begin Friday morning, with quarterfinals later in the day.

The semifinals are on Saturday at 2 and 4 p.m., with the girls’ final at 6 o’clock and the boys’ gold-medal match at 8 p.m.

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