The Vanier Spirits are off to exactly the start they were hoping for at the Saskatchewan High Schools Athleitc Association 4A girls provincial volleyball championship.
The tournament hosts rolled to a pair of two-game sweeps in their first matches of the event, currently taking place at the Vanier Collegiate and A.E. Peacock gyms.
Vanier opened their run with a 25-8, 25-14 victory over the Melville Cobras and followed up with a 25-7, 25-21 victory over the Lumsden Lions to all but lock down a playoff spot.
The tournament’s top seeds close out play Friday when they take on the Humboldt Mohawks at 5 p.m. at Vanier, with their final round robin game Sunday at 10 a.m. against the Martensville Royals.
The Central Cyclones will have a bit of work to do in order to reach the playoff round after losing their first two games.
Central lost their opener 25-19, 25-14 to the second-seed Nipawin L.P. Miller Bears and then fell 25-17, 25-22 to the Regina Luther Lions to sit 0-2 in their pool.
That means the Cyclones will need to win both of their remaining games to have a shot at the playoff round. They face North Battleford John Paul II at 6 p.m. Friday before wrapping their round robin at 11 a.m. Saturday against Meadow Lake. Both those games are at Peacock.
The top four teams from each five team pool advance to the playoff round, with the quarter-finals at 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. at Vanier and Peacock, followed by the semifinals at 3 p.m. at both schools. The bronze medal game is 4:30 p.m. and gold medal game at 5:30 p.m., with both those contests at Vanier.
Be sure to check back later for more from provincials and follow along with all the scores on www.shsaa.ca.
