Junior spikers settle for silver

The Muskie junior boys’ volleyball team—Fort High’s best hope for NorWOSSA gold after a 6-2 regular-season record—could only manage silver after losing to the Dryden Eagles in four sets in the league final here Friday afternoon.
The black-and-gold had swept the winless Kenora Broncos in straight sets in the semi-final earlier Friday by scores of 25-20, 25-13, and 26-24 before the first-place Eagles staged a crushing comeback in the gold-medal showdown.
“We just seemed to lose our momentum and lose our focus,” Muskie head coach Duane Roen said. “My boys were not communicating the way I wanted them to. . . .
“In [the] NorWOSSA final, against a team like Dryden, you can’t make many mistakes,” he stressed.
The Muskies took the first set 26-24, but then dropped the next two 25-18 and 25-21.
The hosts came out roaring in the fourth set, jumping out to 5-1 and 10-2 leads before losing 25-18.
“Final set sucked,” power Rodney Spencer said bluntly. “The first game was all right . . . the team just wasn’t talking out there. We weren’t calling the ball or watching tips.”
The Muskies showed the hitting power, savvy blocking, and creative play that won them their final five regular-season matches against Dryden on Friday afternoon, but also displayed an alarming lack of focus.
Players made poor decisions and struggled with even the simplest sets and bumps, and buckled when the Eagles went on a roll or the score began to favour the opposition.
Roen chalked up the loss to inexperience in a program that before this breakout season hadn’t won a match in several years.
“We didn’t keep the end in mind, and before you know it, you’re on the other end of 25 points,” he remarked.
“I think some people were nervous because it was our first time,” agreed Justin Anderson, a Grade 10 power. “Maybe some people were intimidated by the big crowd.”
Roen didn’t spend much time dwelling after the loss.
“I am proud of my team,” he stressed. “Measure the success of the team by where we are at the start of the year and where we are at the end, I’d say we we’re very successful.”
As for losing a close match after a red-hot run down the stretch, “Que sera, sera,” Roen shrugged. “Hopefully, these boys will move on.”
Meanwhile, it was a much different story for the Muskie senior boys’ volleyball team in the NorWOSSA playoffs here Friday.
After managing to win just one set during the eight-match regular season, the black-and-gold didn’t put forth much in the semi-final against Dryden, losing in straight sets by scores of 25-12, 25-13, and 25-18.
“Not today,” head coach Brian Love lamented. “Today wasn’t our day. A little bit of a mental letdown in terms of our serving and our block. Our defence was a little off.
“But that’s to take nothing away from Dryden. They were hungry, and they were ready,” Love stressed.
While it’s little immediate comfort, all signs point to the emerging of a strong volleyball program at Fort High. A few key juniors, including Anderson, will be eligible for the senior team next year and Love hopes they’ll continue in the sport.
“They’ll fit very nicely with guys like [Aaron] Oakes, [Jesse] Ranville, [Justin] Bujold, and [Kurt] Gustafson,” he noted. “I think the future does look very, very bright for Fort High volleyball.”