The Mount Douglas Rams junior girls are competing in the provincial volleyball championships today and tomorrow at South Delta and Seaquam secondary schools.
The Rams are the only South Island team there after winning the Island championships at Dover Bay secondary in Nanaimo on Saturday.
Coach Brian McKinnon said his team of strictly Grade 9 players will be hard pressed to follow-up their Island heroics against the competitive teams at provincials.
“Some of elite teams will have Grade 10 players who are also on elite club teams.”
The Rams defeated the top-ranked Island team Mark Isfeld in the Island final.
Isfeld won the first set 26-24, the only set the Rams lost in the tourney. The Rams won the second set 25-17 and came back from an 11-6 deficit in the third set with a a 10-to-3 run to win 16-14.
“(The Rams) had a lot of fight. They’re all Grade 9s so they hope they can do this at Islands again next year. At provincials, they’re going to get as much experience as they can for next year,” McKinnon said.
Rams left-side hitter Jessica Lane was named tournament MVP. Rams’ Sabrina Lam was a first team all-star with sixth-place Claremont Spartans star Taylor Columbine.
Belmont finished eighth.
The Rams won the best-of-three semifinal over Dover Bay in two sets 25-17 and 25-18.
Both Mark Isfeld and Dover Bay had previously defeated the Mount Douglas Rams earlier this year as the up-Island teams were stronger than the South Island this season, McKinnon said.
"The girls worked hard and practiced hard."