Neelin rallies incredibly to reach, win final

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This article was published 04/12/2023 (682 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Jada McMillan stepped back to the service line with everything — or nothing — to lose.

Down 24-18, her Neelin Spartans needed a miracle or the best string of points they could play or their season would end with a bronze-medal match. The Spartans rallied and stole the set, then the third, then breezed through the provincial AAA varsity girls championship match, beating the Linden Christian Wings 25-19, 25-15 in Dauphin on Saturday.

“There was a point where I just thought ‘OK, I guess this is kind of it.’ Once we got rolling, I honestly felt like I became a cheerleader, tried to stay positive for them,” said Spartans head coach Lana Dubois.

“Kruz (Wilson) was diving, everyone was getting ups we would not typically get. Nothing was hitting the floor and I feel like I blacked out.

“It was honestly the most crazy thing when you watch kids come back. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced that in my life in sports.”

The Spartans didn’t start the week strong, going 1-2 in the top power pool and finished third. They got past the Sanford Sabres 25-23, 25-16, then met the Westgate Wings in what was originally the top two teams in the 12-team field.

Westgate won the first set 25-22, then led 22-13 before the Spartans started their improbable rally. It included, Dubois said, eight straight points by Maci Hlady at the net and an entire Neelin team that simply refused to go down.

They fought off five set points to tie it 24-24, then lost one and scored three more to force a third, which they won 15-10.

“It was actually the most insane thing I’ve ever experienced,” Dubois said, adding the team carried that energy through to the final.

“(Linden Christian’s) a great team, they were a really good team but at that point we realized how much we persevered in that (semifinal). We … had like two missed serves the entire match and everyone was just going.

“Everything was going for us.”

Neelin setter Tyra Lasuik was named tournament MVP, while left side Anne Gravelle and Wilson made the all-star team.

Dauphin beat Westgate 17-25, 25-22, 15-13 for bronze.

“It’s a great day to be a Spartan,” Dubois said.

NEELIN BOYS DOMINATE

That sentiment rang true for the Neelin boys, who dropped just one set all weekend en route to gold.

“It is so awesome. It’s an amazing feeling. These kids worked so hard, they practise so much, all the hard work came to fruition,” said head coach Jill Martine.

“Every team gave us a run, the boys just came to play.”

Neelin cruised through pool play, only letting two of six sets hit 20-plus points allowed. They got the No. 1 seed for the playoffs and blitzed Niverville 25-18, 25-16 before their lone snag of the weekend.

Louis-Riel took the first set of their semifinal but Neelin replied with two dominant ones, winning 18-25, 25-17, 15-9 to reach a final against Steinbach Christian.

The Spartans took that one 25-18, 25-22.

“We all were locked in, we were there to win and very much in control,” Martine said.

Neelin had an overflow of players who could have started on medallists in this event, which ultimately made the lineup that capped the season with a banner that much stronger.

Grade 11 left side Kal-El Wilson and libero Kingston Thomas were named provincial all-stars while senior left side Nathaniel Berube earned the MVP nod.

“He’s just such a consistent player and such a smart player,” Martine said. “He’s a true team player, he never gets down, point by point with him, he just is all about the team and we can always depend on him.

“This group just worked really hard. We practised five to six times a week and everybody was really important to our success.”

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