Welcome to Philosophy of Volleyball 101.
“If you don’t have intensity and you’re not going to move your feet, you’re not going to beat a team like Atikokan,” said Muskie junior boys volleyball squad coach Greg Ste. Croix after his team was eliminated by Atikokan in two straight games in the opening playoff round of the St. Patrick’s High School tournament in Thunder Bay this past weekend.
“Atikokan plays a very disciplined style of volleyball. Their basic skills are very entrenched at the junior level. They do a lot of things well.”
The Muskies finished fourth in the preliminary round of the tournament, having to beat the Kenora Broncos two straight games to qualify for the playoffs.
They pulled off that trick, drawing first-place Atikokan in the first playoff match-up. Exhibiting what Ste. Croix called “flashes of good volleyball,” Fort Frances dug out of a 10-2 hole to make a game of the first set, but had to settle for a 25-22 loss.
In the second game, Atikokan unleashed a furious front line attack that was too much for the Muskies to handle in winning a decisive 25-16 decision.
“We got smoked,” Ste. Croix put it bluntly. “They gave us a pretty good beating.”
The Muskies sputtered out of the gate at the tourney, losing two straight games to the Dryden Eagles and then the Manitouwadge Wolverines, where Ste. Croix said his team “really played poorly in all aspects.”
“You like to compete against a good team to see where you’re at,” Ste. Croix said in reference to the match-up with the Wolverines. “But when you don’t compete (hard), it’s hard to gauge that.”
Fort Frances regrouped and came back to win the first game against the Churchill Trojans from Thunder Bay, before losing the second.
“We did some good things in that first game, but in the second, we beat ourselves,” lamented Ste. Croix.
With the possibility of being ousted before the playoff round in front of them, the Muskies played their best match of the year to sweep the Broncos and make the playoffs.
“We had a strong team concept, including our serving, hitting, blocking, and coverage,” said Ste. Croix. “It was a fun match, and the way volleyball should be played.”
The coach has faith that the road trip may have some spinoff benefits for the Muskies later on this season.
“It gave us a chance to develop some team chemistry,” he ventured. “Some guys are really coming out of their shell, and have a better understanding of the game.”
The juniors will journey to Dryden for an Oct. 31-Nov. 1 tournament.
The senior boys Muskies were originally scheduled to be in Dryden for a tournament this past weekend, but that event was moved to this coming Friday and Saturday.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
