Kelowna Christian School is hosting the top-eight single ‘A’ boys volleyball teams from around the Okanagan for the 2022 Valley Championships.
“Our aim is to win this tournament, and to win Valley’s which we did last year, so we’re looking to repeat and win a berth to the provincial championships, and that’s really our goal going into this,” explained KCS Knights head coach, Tim Wood.
After an impressive regular season, the Knights were awarded the opportunity to host the tournament. The head coach added that he’s proud of his group after overcoming some early-season adversity.
“We have six players that play on the soccer team as well, so there were lots of different lineups and teams going to games, so it’s been really nice to see it all come together,” said Wood.
“The goal here at KCS is to use athletics to build character and unity in our players, and to work for each other, not as individuals. It’s been nice these last few weeks having our whole lineup here.”
Last season, the Knights clinched a spot in provincials, but due to poor weather, the team was unable to travel. The top three teams from this weekend’s tournament will move on to provincials, which take place in December in Duncan, on Vancouver Island. Wood says he’s doing everything he can to keep his group focused on the task at hand.
“I take teaching from a lot of different coaches, and we’ve talked a lot about being like goldfish – just having that 10-second memory and playing every point as hard as we can and focusing on every point one at a time,” said Wood.
“We haven’t event talked about if we get second or third.”
For the Knights players, playing in front of their home fans through the tournament gives them an extra boost of confidence.
“It’s a little more motivation, having people watch. It’s extra fun when you score a point, and there’s extra cheering, it’s just a lot more fun when people watch us,” said KCS Knights player Mathison Sader.
“It was quite a disappointment that we weren’t able to go to provincials last year ’cause of the roads, but our team is looking forward to seeing how we can do this year at Valley’s,” said KCS Knights player Tanner Garman.
“We’re very excited.”
The tournament started with pool play, with all eight teams divided into two groups. On Saturday, the final day of the tournament, quarter and semi-final games will be played, starting at 2:30 and 4:30 p.m.
The tournament is free, and the public is encouraged to get out and watch.
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