The McMath Wildcats maintained their status as the best senior girls volleyball team in Richmond but their reign won't be an easy one.
The Wildcats remain perfect in city play after outlasting the Richmond Christian Eagles 31 in an entertaining battle of unbeaten teams last week.
McMath was sitting third in the "AAAA" rankings before stumbling at a tournament in Kelowna. The result dropped the Wildcats to ninth in the latest poll but they rebounded with an impressive effort against a quality opponent on home court.
"They are by far the best team we have faced in our league," said Wildcats coach Rob Forbes.
They played hard and we played hard. We had a horrible weekend up in Kelowna so I was very pleased with the way they performed tonight."
This is arguably the best senior girls team Richmond Christian has ever put on the floor. Higher enrollment forced the Eagles to move up to the "AA" level this season yet they are proven provincial contender, listed fourth in the latest rankings.
The team has an outstanding group of athletes, headed by Grade 12 junior national team member Rowyn Neufeld. It means the bar has been set high by second-year coach Karen Prinsloo who suggests her team is capable of more than just moral victories against larger schools like McMath.
"It was an excellent match and they are a strong team," said Prinsloo. "We haven't played a team all year with such a strong middle offence. It was good experience for our team to play against them.
"I am hopeful. These are still the early days of the season.
These kind of games gives us information of what to work on and go back to practice and come back better prepared. There was a lot of food for thought from this game."
A year ago, the Wildcats held down the number one ranking in the province, late in the season, on their way to a fifth place finish at the provincial championships. That team was led by Juliana Kaufmanis and Kristen Almhjell who have gone on to play at the university level with UBC and Guelph respectively.
That squad also featured an impressive group of Grade 11s who gained loads of experience to take into this season.
Key Grade 12s include middle Katrina Tolentino and setter Rebecca Hansen who both have played for Team B.C. Meanwhile, Hilary Schaap (rowing) and Natasha Magnus (soccer) are provincial class athletes who have managed to squeeze volleyball into their busy schedule.
This is Forbes' final season after serving as a volunteer high school coach for the past 33 years. He mapped out his retirement from coaching when he began working with these Grade 12s five years ago at the Bantam level. His final curtain call should come at next month's provincial "AAAA" championships in Coquitlam.
"They are a very mature group for their age and all got a great experience playing at the provincials last year," added Forbes.
"We are probably not as strong as last year but, I would say it's the same thing overall too. There are some great teams out there and on any given day anything could happen. We've got some more tournaments coming up where we will get a good feeling to see how we stack up against everyone else."
A stronger start in at least two of the games could have led to a better result for Richmond Christian. However, the girls never quit and nearly came all the way back to take the first set, losing 25-23.
The Eagles roster features six players who also play at the club level, including two who participate in the Olympic Oval Centre of Excellence Program.
"This is one of the best teams I have ever coached," said Prinsloo.
"The girls have a lot of heart and a strong desire to be successful. They love volleyball and I love coaching them."
The Eagles' season should end at the provincial "AA" tournament in Nanaimo where their toughest competition is expected to come from Elphinstone and Pacific Academy.
