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Glen Avon and Racette crowned junior SPAA volleyball champions

The Glen Avon Panthers girls’ and Racette Jr. High School Raiders boys’ volleyball teams won the 2022 junior St. Paul Athletics Association (SPAA) championship banners on Nov. 21, after a full day of competing.

ST. PAUL – The Glen Avon Panthers girls’ and Racette Jr. High School Raiders boys’ volleyball teams won the 2022 junior St. Paul Athletics Association (SPAA) championship banners on Nov. 21, after a full day of competing.  

In the final game on the boys’ side, the Racette Raiders defeated the Two Hills Tigers to win the SPAA junior high boys’ volleyball championship.  

Samantha Weinmeier, coach for Racette’s boys’ volleyball team, said she was proud of the team for a great season and ultimately bringing home the gold. 

“It was nice to see them improve over the season, and we definitely will miss the Grade 9s for next year,” she said. “But, they’ll be moving on to a bigger and better volleyball, that’s for sure.” 

Weinmeier thanked the fans who came out to support the team. 

“It was awesome to see them all come to support and watch us play all day – it was really nice,” she said. 

She also commended the Two Hills Tigers boys’ volleyball team for being a great competition. “They were awesome, and they kept their heads up – it was really nice to see them battle against us.” 

The Racette boys’ volleyball team ended the volleyball season with a clean record of 29 wins and only one loss. 

Desiree Saskiw, assistant coach for the Two Hills Tigers boys’ volleyball team said she was proud of the team’s performance throughout the season. 

Saskiw said there has been “a lot of growth and improvement” for the team, managing to beat teams in the SPAA championship that they previously failed to defeat all season, and winning the silver. 

“It’s a good finish for us, for sure,” said Saskiw. 

Charles Lang, the head coach for Two Hills, agreed, stating, “they’ve come a long way this year as far as their development, understanding of the game, and their ability to anticipate.” 

He also commended and congratulated Racette for winning the championship. 

“You always know that you’re going to have a hard game against them, and they always bring their best,” he said, commending the Raiders’ “sportsmanship and how they carry themselves.” 

“So, lots of compliments for them and the well-deserved win,” concluded Lang. 

Junior Girls 

It was also stiff competition for the junior girls’ volleyball teams with Glen Avon and Two Hills, battling for the championship.  

Beginning with the first set, the final match between Glen Avon and Two Hills opened with some fierce competition. The two teams were neck-to-neck on the scoreboard before the set was won by Glen Avon. 

In the second set, Glen Avon started strong and gained a five-point lead 13-8, when Two Hills began to catch up, tying the game 13-13. Two Hills widened the gap, while Glen Avon trailed closely behind but was unable to regain the momentum. 

Two Hills reached match point at 24-21, before winning the second set 25-21, forcing a third set. 

In the final set, the competition only intensified as fans and supporters for both teams roared in cheer, and neither team could overtake the other in the race to 15 points. 

While Glen Avon briefly took the lead 11-8, Two Hills caught up 11-11. 

Glen Avon then reached match point first when the score was 14-13, and only needed one more point to win the game. But Two Hills came back to tie the game 14-14. 

It was now a race for whichever team would lead the score first by two points to win the game. But neither team could overtake the other as the score piled up. 

After a back-and-forth between the two teams, much to the loud cheers and anticipation of their supporters, Glen Avon reached match point again, 18-17. 

Then, Glen Avon scored again to win the championship, 19-17. 

Robyn Randall, the coach for Glen Avon, said she felt “super nervous” throughout the game. According to Randall, the Glen Avon girls’ team fought hard all season but never won a championship. 

“They showed up when it mattered and came out on top,” she said, sharing her excitement about ending the league in first place against the other top teams. “Anyone could have taken it.” 

“In the end, I’m super excited and proud of the girls,” she said and expressed her thanks to the players for a “great season.” 

Mike Lo, coach for the junior girls’ volleyball team from Two Hills, said he was proud of the team’s accomplishment and “proud of the way they played.” 

“The girls put in 110 per cent, playing their hearts out, and they left everything on the floor,” said Lo. “They had a great season.” 

He also congratulated Glen Avon for winning gold and for playing a “great” game. 

“We’ll get them next year.” 


Mario Cabradilla

About the Author: Mario Cabradilla

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