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Ballenas Whalers team at Island finals

Volleyball action continues as the season winds down to an end

Ballenas Secondary School has two volleyball teams competing in Island finals today.

In senior boys action, the Whalers won their second consecutive AAA North Island championship to advance to the Island finals slated for GP Vanier Secondary in Courtenay today (Nov. 16) and tomorrow.

In action at the North Islands, played at Dover Bay Secondary in Nanaimo last Thursday, the Whalers won the four-team round robin (there aren’t many AAA schools up north any more) the Whalers faced Vanier, Brooks and Dover Bay — sweeping Brooks and Dover and losing to Vanier in three, but taking the title based on sets won.

The top three teams advanced to the Island finals.

“The guys are playing really well,” said Whalers co-coach Steve Dorsay. Dorsay also coaches the BSS Jr. Girls volleyball team and will make the trip with them to their Island finals on the same days while senior boys co-coach Daryl Britz takes the helm for that team.

The senior boys open their Island finals against the Bellmont Bulldogs on Friday (today); face Spectrum in the afternoon game, and close out pool play that evening against the Roadrunners from Reynolds.

Fraser Heights is the top-ranked AAA Sr. Boys team in the province right now while Oak Bay, who won it all last year, is currently ranked #2.

IN JR GIRLS action, BSS hosted their eight-team North Island finals Nov. 12-13 and carved out a second place, losing to their arch rivals the Cedar Spartans in the gold medal game, to advance.

The Whaler girls said Dorsay beat NDSS 25-13, 25-23 in their opener then posted wins over the Alberni Valley Armada (25-20, 25-20) and Timberline from Campbell River (25-13, 25-19) to finish first in Pool B.

Back at it Tuesday morning against the Marc Isfeld Ice, who finished fourth in Pool A, Ballenas rolled to 25-11, 25-13 wins, then followed that up with a win over the Woodlands Eagles (25-21, 25-15) in the semifinal.

In the final against the Spartans, “Cedar dominated us,” said Dorsay, who’s team of all Grade  10s came up short 25-10, 25-22, pointing out “Cedar’s probably the best team on the Island, and maybe the best team int he province. We’ve seen them in the final in three tournaments so far this year, we’ve played them 10 times in all and we’ve never beat them in a mach, so we’re not surprised. We know how good they are — we’re basically chasing Cedar trying to become as good as them.”

That said, “the girls are playing great,” said Dorsay, pointing out “they’ve proved to be a dominant team and yet they would all say it’s sort of bitter sweet were doing so well yet we can’t seem to defeat Cedar. We’ve probably played 50 matches (this season) and the only teams we’ve lost to are Cedar and I think Claremont.

Still, there’s lots of volleyball to be played yet he points out.

The second place finish assured the Whalers one of the three berths up for grabs to the eight-team Island finals slated for today and tomorrow at Claremont in Victoria. The top four teams from the Islands advances to the BC’s on the Mainland the following weekend.