The East Kootenay U18 Girls Volleyball Club, known as the Avalanche, returned home from the national championships in Edmonton with gold medals in hand after an outstanding performance over the May 23–25 weekend.
Competing at the Edmonton EXPO Centre against some of the best teams in the country, the Avalanche emerged as champions in Tier 19.
The tournament featured 151 teams representing 122 clubs from across Canada.
The Avalanche, a young team made up entirely of Golden athletes in Grades 10 through 12, impressed throughout the event. With only two players graduating from the program, the future looks bright for the club.
After two rounds of round-robin play, the team secured the top spot in their tier heading into the playoffs. They finished the tournament with a 5-3 record and sealed the championship with a hard-fought 25-23, 25-21 win over Club Bounce in the finals.
“The girls have worked hard all season with this weekend in mind. They played their best volleyball when it counted most. Heather and I couldn’t be more proud of them,” said head coach Brad Bokenfohr. “Also, I’d like to especially thank our manager, Nicole Chappelle, for all of the work she put in behind the scenes.”
