KINKORA – There was an electric atmosphere in the Kinkora Regional High School (KRHS) gymnasium on Thursday night.
That was a result of host Kinkora winning the P.E.I. School Athletic Association Intermediate A Girls Volleyball League championship banner for the second year in a row.
Kinkora, comprised of students from Amherst Cove Consolidated School in Borden-Carleton, Somerset Elementary in Kinkora and Grade 9 students at KRHS, prevailed 3-1 in a thrilling gold-medal match against Souris that had fans on the edge of their seats, especially in the deciding fourth set. Scores were 22-25, 25-13, 25-17, 26-24.
“The last set went back and forth,” said Kinkora coach Jonny Martin in indicating just how evenly-matched the two finalists were. “We went up 20-16, they clawed right back to make it 20-20, then we went up 24-20, and they came back to tie it up at 24, and then we snuck it out with two quick points at the end.”
When asked to describe the atmosphere in the gym during the final, Martin commented, with a chuckle, “It was a loud gym, and it was fun.”
Semifinals
The semifinals, which were played Thursday afternoon, featured Kinkora defeating Belfast 3-1 (21-25, 25-9, 25-19, 25-22), and Souris overcoming a 2-0 deficit to pull out a five-set marathon over Summerside Intermediate School 3-2 (21-25, 16-25, 25-18, 25-20, 15-11).
Summerside Intermediate defeated Belfast 3-0 (25-16, 15-13, 25-13) in the bronze-medal match.
McCardle MVP
Grade 9 student Shaelynn McCardle of Kinkora was selected as the most valuable player of the provincial championship tournament.
“Shaelynn certainly deserves it,” stressed Martin. “She was our setter, and one of our top players all year.
“She settled everything down on the court, is an excellent server and an excellent setter setting things up for the middle hitters.”
Martin said one key to Kinkora’s success was its defensive play.
“We played really, really well,” he added. “We had a lot of nice defensive plays, and we made it hard for our opponents to get points.”
The provincial championship capped a memorable season for Kinkora, which went 9-1 in league play, undefeated in a tournament in Charlottetown and the playoffs. This year’s Kinkora squad was comprised of two Grade 7s, three Grade 8s and seven Grade 9s, who will be moving onto the senior ranks next year.
“They were a pretty strong bunch,” said Martin. “We had a real good group that is in Grade 9.”
Top players
PEISAA Intermediate A Girls Volleyball League awards:
Provincial Championship
All-Stars
Mia Martell, Belfast
Alyssa Richard, SIS
Brooke Robertson, Souris
Allee Clinton, Souris
Faith Reeves, Kinkora
MVP
Shaelynn McCardle, Kinkora
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