The Golden Ticket Volleyball Club might have only been in existence for a year at this point, but they already have their first provincial championship under their belt.
The 16-and-under girls' team went undefeated through the Sask Volleyball Division III provincial tournament in Saskatoon during the Apr. 15 weekend, claiming the gold medal and advancing to nationals in Calgary during the first week in May.
“We had a great weekend, the girls played really good volleyball and to go undefeated at a provincial championship, no matter what division, that doesn’t happen very often,” said GTVC coach Joe Gunnis. “We knew we had the talent to do something special, but I don’t think I’d say we’d do something like that at any tournament, let alone a provincial championship. Usually, you’re running up against someone who is giving you a challenge and it can go either way, so it worked out great for us.”
It all started with preliminary round play, where Golden Ticket would drop a single set. That included a 25-22, 25-15 win over the Melfort Storm, 25-21, 26-24 victory against the Junior Sundogs Gold and a 25-6, 23-25, 15-6 victory over Qu’Appelle Valley.
That was good enough to send GTVC to the Divison III crossover game, where they left nothing to chance in a 25-14, 25-9 win over Queen City Volleyball Club Black.
From there, it was off to the medal round, and Golden Ticket would ensure they’d play for gold thanks to a hard-fought 25-12, 22-25, 15-10 victory over the Nipawin Fusion. Things weren’t as close in the title contest, as GTVC would roll to a 25-19, 26-24 win over the Estevan Extreme to claim their provincial championship.
As one might expect, it’s safe to say the 16U crew found the peak of their game at the perfect time.
“Winning the gold was the goal, it was a matter of putting it together and the girls played some of their best volleyball of the season,” Gunnis said.
A major key to their success was overall team balance. Different players stood out at different times throughout the weekend, and that played a huge role in how GTVC was able to find a way to win all six of their matches.
“Truthfully, it’s hard to name names when it comes to who played well, because everyone did their job and what they needed to do,” Gunnis said. “The team played as a team and it’s really nice to watch,”
It’s been a rather unusual season from the get-go for the entire GTVC program, as the water damage to the Golden Ticket Sports Centre gym in October saw their sports programs either postponed or seeking other places to play.
That all worked out in the end, though, as other gyms in Moose Jaw stepped up to help while repairs were completed.
“We’ve been back in and practicing since the start of April, so it’s back and functional and the new floor looks great,” Gunnis said. “It was a crazy thing to deal with all season long, but (Golden Ticket founder) Tanner (Brightman) did a great job and we had a lot of help from Sask Polytech and other schools, so it was a total community effort in that regard, for sure.”
The provincial title win also continues a long string of success for Moose Jaw volleyball, as the sport continues to see victories pile up at both the high school and club levels.
“It’s really great to win a provincial championship, but the biggest thing is we have more people playing volleyball, both girls and guys, than we’ve had in a long time,” Gunnis siad. “So that’s going to bode well for Moose Jaw volleyball moving forward, for sure. And it’s not just about which club you play for, the sport of volleyball is growing and it’s a cool sport to be a part of.”
The GTVC 16Us are now off to the Volleyball Canada national tournament in Calgary during the first week of May, with the team naturally aiming for similar success there.
“The competition will be a lot tougher, but we’ll go there and see what we can do,” Gunnis said.
For more on the GTVC and what Golden Ticket has to offer in general, be sure to visit their website at www.goldenticketsportscentre.com and follow their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/goldenticketsportscentre.
