Dawson Creek U17 girls volleyball team earns gold at Alberta provincials

DAWSON CREEK, B.C.  — The Dawson Creek Volleyball Club’s (DCVC) U17 girls earned gold medals at the U17 provincial tournament in Alberta last weekend.

The girls went undefeated, winning all six matches against their competition in Tsuut’ina, Alberta.

According to squad manager Kahla Bassett, the girls had a rough season, which started in January. She noted that the team was “thrown together,” consisting of some girls who would ordinarily play at the U15 and U16 levels. 

The team also has some players from Fort St. John: Emmy Bowler, Dani Steiner, and Chloe Vanberneulen.

However, Bassett says this team of  “underdogs” came together at the right moment. 

“Last weekend, the girls came right out of the gate,” said Bassett. “They dug from the bottom though and kept consistent.”

The team finished the round-robin with three wins and no losses, advancing to the playoffs as a number-one seed.

In the playoffs, the girls defeated teams from Medicine Hat and Drumheller and outlasted Central Alberta Rage of Ponoka to win gold.

Along with the gold medal, the team had a pair of tournament all-stars on its roster: Sophie Amano and Briea Noordhos.

Bassett credits the coaching staff and team for coming together for a monumental moment and mentioned how proud she is of the squad.

“They worked so hard,” said Bassett. “The entire coaching staff was amazing. The girls’ really came together. They were true underdogs, and they came out on top this year.”

The DCVC will wrap up their season by travelling to Las Vegas from May 3rd to May 5th to compete in the Emperor’s Cup.

To learn more about the DCVC, visit their Facebook page or website.