KENSINGTON, P.E.I. — It’s a weekend Maddy Rogers and Nicole Boucher always look forward to.
This one will be extra special as the two 17-year-old seniors with the host Torchettes will play in the Kensington Intermediate-Senior High School Volleyball Extravaganza for the third and final time.
“This tournament means a lot and I have been playing in it every single year,” said Rogers, who plays the middle position and lives in Indian River. “Volleyball is everything to me,” she said. “It keeps me going and keeps me having best friends. It’s a great experience and I’m so happy I got into it. I don’t know what I’d do without volleyball.”
Boucher developed a passion for volleyball at a young age.
“I started playing volleyball in Grade 6 and I had to give up soccer, which I had played before volleyball,” said Boucher, who plays power. “I was like, ‘I played soccer long enough, let’s try a new sport.’
“I love volleyball and it’s something that I’m very dedicated to.”
45th annual
This year’s KISH Volleyball Extravaganza, which was started by retired KISH athletic director John Bowness, is in its 45th year and will feature 12 teams from P.E.I. and Nova Scotia, including the defending-champion Cobequid Education Centre (CEC) Team One Cougars from Truro, N.S. Play begins Friday evening and KISH head coach Richard Younker describes the tournament as “a starting point” to the season.
“We don’t usually have a lot of practice time before this tournament, but with the hurricane it’s been even less,” said Younker. “The teams from Nova Scotia haven’t even run their tryouts yet and they are coming here with zero practice time and the teams from P.E.I. are almost in the same boat.
“We were in the gym a couple of times last week, nothing Monday and we got a practice Wednesday and a scrimmage (against Kinkora on Thursday). It’s a way to get on the court, see what your team can do and things you need to work on.”
The players enjoy facing some different competition.
“It’s really exciting meeting a whole bunch of players from different teams and you get to play strong players,” said Boucher, who lives in Darnley. “It’s a really good experience.”
Roster
Younker notes this year’s Torchettes’ roster looks different than last year’s veteran-laden team, which took home the provincial silver medal after losing a five-set match to the Colonel Gray Colonels in the gold-medal match.
“We are young, we are small in stature and we only have eight players,” said Younker. “It’s a different kind of year.
“We only have two Grade 12s, one Grade 11 and five Grade 10s. We are very inexperienced.”
Players
This year’s Kensington senior AAA
girls’ volleyball team’s roster:
Grade 12s
Nicole Boucher, power.
Maddy Rogers, middle.
Grade 11
Hillary Murray, middle.
Grade 10s
Avery Hattie, libero/offside.
Samantha Schurman, setter.
Katie Stavert-Bernard, libero/power.
Kate Woodside, offside.
Tori MacPhee, power.
However, the veteran coach is encouraged by what he’s seen so far.
“They have been working hard at practice, they listen and I know they have the potential to get better, which is what you want to see,” continued Younker. “This will certainly be a year to see how far we can go from September to November.”
Younker will lean heavily on Boucher and Rogers.
“Maddy Rogers, I think, is the best player on the Island,” said Younker. “She is a phenomenal athlete and a great player.
“She has started for us since Grade 10 and she has played club (volleyball) for me since Grade 8 and has been to nationals twice now.”
Younker is hoping Boucher’s work ethic inspires KISH’s young players.
“Nicole Boucher has worked her butt off to be a starter at the AAA level,” said Younker. “She has some good skills, has a good serve and her passing is good. She will really need to help us, too.”
As veterans, Boucher and Rogers understand they will be leaned on to provide strong leadership.
“I am really looking forward to this year,” said Rogers, who serves as team captain. “We have a lot of young players coming up and we have pretty well a whole new starting lineup this year.
“Our young players are doing really well and I think it’s going to be a good year.”
At A Glance
KISH Volleyball Extravaganza at a glance:
Green Pool
Kensington
Three Oaks
J.L. Ilsley (Spryfield, N.S.)
Bluefield
CEC Two (Truro, N.S.)
J.H. Gillis (Antigonish, N.S.)
White Pool
Westisle
Charlottetown Rural
Colonel Gray
CEC One (Truro, N.S.)
Sydney Academy (Sydney, N.S.)
Kinkora
Friday’s Matches
At KISH:
5 p.m. – Kensington vs. Three Oaks; Charlottetown Rural vs. Colonel Gray.
6 p.m. – J.L. Ilsley vs. Bluefield; Three Oaks vs. J.H. Gillis.
7 p.m. – Kensington vs. CEC Two; Charlottetown Rural vs. CEC One.
8 p.m. – Three Oaks vs. J.L. Ilsley; Kensington vs. Bluefield.
9 p.m. – CEC Two vs. J.H. Gillis; Westisle vs. CEC One.
At Kinkora Regional High School:
6 p.m. – Westisle vs. Kinkora.
7 p.m. – Westisle vs. Colonel Gray.
8 p.m. – Sydney Academy vs. Kinkora.
9 p.m. – Colonel Gray vs. Sydney Academy.
Saturday's Matches
At KISH:
9 a.m. – J.L. Ilsley vs. J.H. Gillis; Colonel Gray vs. Kinkora.
10 a.m. – Three Oaks vs. Bluefield; Westisle vs. Charlottetown Rural.
11 a.m. – J.L. Ilsley vs. CEC Two; CEC One vs. Sydney Academy.
Noon – Kensington vs. J.H. Gillis; Charlottetown Rural vs. Kinkora.
1 p.m. – Bluefield vs. CEC Two; Colonel Gray vs. CEC One.
2 p.m. – Kensington vs. J.L. Ilsley; Westisle vs. Sydney Academy.
3 p.m. – Three Oaks vs. CEC Two; CEC One vs. Kinkora.
4 p.m. – Bluefield vs. J.H. Gillis; Charlottetown Rural vs. Sydney Academy.
5 p.m. – Semifinals: First-place team in Green Division vs. second place team in White Division; first-place team in White Division vs. second-place team in Green Division.
6 p.m. – Gold- and bronze-medal matches.
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