The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Second place is just as good as first when it comes to Conferences in volleyball Ð and the Creighton Community School boys team found that out recently. The Kodiaks earned second place in the event Ð which was enough to move them forward, along with Kinistino, to Regionals. Coach Janel Pearson, who attended her final volleyball event of the season, said like other tournaments, the team played their best in the semifinal action. "After the round robin, we were in second (place) behind host Kinistino. In the semifinals, we faced Sturgis, who we beat handily in two games." From there, the Kodiaks went on to the gold medal game Ð against the host team. "Kinistino defeated us in the final game to take the gold," said Pearson. "It was good to get to play Kinistino in both the round robin and the final game as we will be seeing them at the 3A Regional Championships in Langenburg in two weeks." The Kodiaks had to rework their systems a bit over the course of the weekend as they were missing their starting setter Ð Tyler Rice. "We really missed Tyler, as he was away for hockey," said Pearson. "We will need his experience and his ability when we get to Regionals. There is a lot of pressure going into Regionals," she said, noting only the top two teams get to move to Provincials. "I would love to see the boys get the opportunity to go, but they need to earn it. "Regionals will be a challenge and we will have to work hard and stay healthy for the next couple of weeks to prepare," she said. Though the Kodiaks have played in a number of locations and tournaments this season, there will be many teams the boys have not seen yet. "...it's a bit of a guessing game as to what to expect," Pearson said. "We aren't going to make changes for Regionals, but we will work on fine tuning certain aspects of the game Ð such as coverage, following and reading the play, and ball placement." Taking a look at past games, Pearson says there are a lot of two point game scores Ð such as 23-25. "For them to work our way, we need to be doing these little things right. There is nothing more frustrating than sending a free ball over the net, just to have it pounded back at us. "We don't want to give the other teams anything. We aren't going to win if we make it easy for them to set up plays against us," she said. The boys have some time off before heading south for the big event. "The boys have been doing well this year, and I hope that the pressure to perform at Regionals works for them," she said. "I unfortunately won't be travelling with them from this point on, so I hope that even without me, they play to my expectations. I'm a coach who likes to see communication on the court, consistency, aggressiveness and good decision making. "...these are the things that we have been building on all year."
