Briana Shymanski

The Bert Church Chargers rallied to a 3-1 win over the Springbank Phoenix, Sept. 19. Both teams are tied for top spot in the RVSA league with three wins and one loss.

view all photos (-count-)

Bert Church Chargers volleyball team off to a solid start

It’s just two weeks into the season and the Bert Church Chargers senior boys volleyball team has already bested its 2011-2012 record. The Chargers are 2-0 after defeating the Springbank Phoenix 3-1, Sept. 19.

“It’s a good start,” said Bert Church Head Coach Carol Smith. “We were talking. Our passes were okay, but we stayed in the game. Even if we were a few points behind we rallied to come back. Last year, we had games where we came close, but just couldn’t win”.

The team, which is tied with Springbank for first place in the league, is relatively young with only four returning players from last year, but Smith said good communication and team chemistry have made the difference this year.

“The kids that are coming up from junior varsity have a good knowledge of the game,” she said. “They work really well together. The kids that are returning are good leaders and the kids that have come up really enjoy volleyball. They’re willing to learn and they’re buying into what we’re doing as a team.”

The Chargers now have a lengthy, two-week break before the next league game against Bow Valley, Oct. 10. The team is looking to stay fresh with tournaments in Calgary and exhibition games and to keep its momentum going.

“(The two opening wins) give us confidence,” Smith said. “The tournaments will be keeping us busy. We just want to keep playing and get as many games in as we can.”

Rocky View Roundup

Three other Bert Church volleyball teams were in action, Sept. 19. The senior girls were defeated in three straight sets by Springbank, while the junior girls were also shut out by the Phoenix. The junior boys lost 3-0 to Springbank.

Six other senior girls teams took the court with Bow Valley defeating Beiseker 3-0, Chestermere defeating Cochrane 3-0 and George McDougall shutting out W.G. Murdoch 3-0. The Bow Valley junior girls also defeated Beiseker in three sets, while the Cochrane junior girls only dropped one set in a win over Chestermere.

Most of the teams will be back in action Sept. 26. See below for host schools and times.

Jr. Girls – Chestermere vs. George McDougall – 5:30 p.m. Cochrane vs. Springbank – 5:30 p.m. Bert Church vs. Beiseker – 5:30 p.m.

Sr. Girls – Chestermere vs. George McDougall – 7 p.m. Cochrane vs. Springbank – 7 p.m. Bert Church vs. Beiseker – 7 p.m. Bow Valley vs. W.G. Murdoch – 6 p.m.

Jr. Boys – George McDougall vs. Chestermere – 5:30 p.m. Springbank vs. Cochrane – 5:30 p.m. Beiseker vs. Bert Church – 6 p.m.

Sr. Boys – George McDougall vs Chestermere – 7 p.m. Springbank vs. Cochrane – 7 p.m.