It’s hardly a stretch to suggest Trish Nicholson has a pretty good idea how the Richmond Senior Girls Volleyball League is going to play out this season and in particular her McRoberts Strikers.
Remarkably beginning her 29th season coaching girls volleyball at McRoberts, Nicholson’s squad is the early favourites to repeat as city champions and return to the provincials for the second straight year. She also expects to see the usual suspects standing in the way.
“Richmond Christian is always a decent team and have been well-coached in the past. They always give us a game,” Nicholson speculated. “McMath have the athletes and it’s a cross-town rivalry thing between us and them. I suspect this year will be no different.”
Backing up her claim is Richmond Christian being currently ranked No. 2 in the A tier which features mostly small private schools across the province. The Wildcats also made a brief appearance in the AAAA rankings and could be heard from again as the “tournament season” gets into full swing.
As for the Strikers, they managed to reach the AAA provincials in Parksville last year despite having a roster with just two Grade 12 players that didn’t even make the trip to the Island due to a grad function. It was predictably a rocky performance for the young team on the big stage for the first time but the experience gained should payoff significantly this season.
They are currently at No. 9 in the AAA rankings.
Nicholson’s 13-player roster features nine seniors, two Grade 11s and even a couple of talented aged up juniors. A potential conflict for the second straight year has also been avoided with the date of the grad activity being moved away from the provincials, slated for late November in Vernon.
“This group has a lot of skill and have had good coaching, whether it be at the club or Oval program,” continued Nicholson, who has been coaching the seniors on this team since Grade 9. “What we are hoping to improve on, over the course of the season, is brining up that hardcore intensity.
“I have had less talented teams but their attitude was no ball was going to hit the floor. It may not look good on video when they do it (from a technical standpoint) but you can do a lot with those kind of players sometimes. Our challenge is going to be getting over that sticking point where it matters to you when (the ball) is going to hit the floor.”
To get her team more battle tested, the Strikers will be participating in a number of tournaments, including this weekend at Capilano University in North Vancouver. Also on the horizon are stops in Campbell River, Burnaby and Seaquam.
“I think the girls were little surprised to see us in the top 10 (of the rankings),” added Nicholson. “But I reminded them it shouldn’t be with the number of players we have coming back. I’ve also snatched up some good Grade 10s who are really committed to volleyball and wanted to be challenged even though it will come at the expense of the playing time they would have had (at the junior level).”
She also admits club volleyball has been a blessing over the years in developing her players’ skill base and passion for the game.
When you happen to be a super volunteer teacher, involved with as many as three sports in a school year, there is no time for the intense year-round programs.
“You can just see the better passing and serving with the club players because they are doing it so often. I’m just a journeyman,” laughed Nicholson. “I go from the volleyball season right to basketball and did even track last year too.”
