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.
A no-quit work ethic resulted in a second place finish for the Grade 10 Hapnot Collegiate Kopper Kweens volleyball team during their invitational tournament. The hosting team couldn't over come Margaret Barbour Collegiate Institute (MBCI) Hawks, losing 2-0 in sets. The first set was tough for the Kopper Kweens, who began the game trailing 4-0. The Hawks lead then grew to 12-5 before Kopper Kweens coach Don Bodnarus called a time-out. His team struggled early to earn points from their serves, but that part of their game improved as the game went on and the Kopper Kweens battled back for a 25-19 loss. In the final set, the Kopper Kweens continued to fight despite being doubled in score 12-6. Mari Pettersen was strong in providing leadership for her team. As the game got older, fans cheered on a Kopper Kween team that fought back to trail 16-14. Unfortunately, the closer the Kopper Kweens got, the more the Hawks distanced themselves from their opponent. It was an excellent championship match that ended 25-22 in favour of the Hawks. "It just seemed in the final The Pas seemed more hungry," said Bodnarus, whose team defeated The Pas 2-0 in round robin action. Following the game, Bodnarus noted his team played hard. He liked that they attacked the ball and made good contact with it. "We know we can do more of that," he says. "The next tournament we play, we're looking forward to the hitters attacking that ball hard." Pettersen felt her team played well, but thought the Kopper Kweens could have played better and should have called the ball more. "Yes, very difficult," she says about playing the Hawks. "They're really good at spiking." One of the things the Kopper Kweens did throughout the tournament was cheer each other on, and it seemed to help until the final. She admitted it was disappointing to lose because they really wanted the championship plaque. The Kopper Kweens gave the Hawks a challenge, but their more impressive performance came in the semi-final against the R.D. Parker Trojans. The Kopper Kweens showed the ability to come back as they lost the first set to Trojans 25-16, then rebounded to win the second set 25-19. In that set, the team took an 18-13 lead after being down 5-1. The Trojans managed to claw their way back after a few break downs cost the Kopper Kweens. In the final set, the Kopper Kweens got on a role taking a 7-0 lead. They were playing so well it seemed they could do no wrong, as the Trojans weren't able to get their first point until the Kopper Kweens had 11. The Kweens went on to win the set 15-5. For the boys, the Kopper King's finished third and coach Rob Abbott was pleased with his team's performance. "We played very well, we got better as the weekend went on and this is our third tournament now," says Abbott, whose team is made up of mostly Grade nines. "We played well at times, but it was sporadic and this weekend it all seemed to come together. The kids passed well and we attacked the ball well and we played against two teams that were probably, they're definitely older and a bit further ahead in talent. I mean we made a good weekend of it. We probably could have pulled it in the semi-final." The Grade nine Kopper Kweens team lost to the Trojans in the semi-final. MBCI Hawks won the tournament, held over the weekend in Flin Flon and Creighton.
