The Portage Collegiate Institute (PCI) Varsity Girls volleyball team, the PCI Saints, are gearing up for an exciting season under the guidance of head coach Braden Schrader, with their first game against Shaftesbury High School in Winnipeg. Schrader expressed optimism about the team's potential and readiness for competition.
"We have a really good, promising team this year. We have a lot of returning players, which is always good. We have a good group of five or six grade 12s, a good group of grade 11s, and a couple of grade 10s that are coming up as well."
This year's key focus is team leadership, particularly from the Grade 12 players. Schrader highlights Grace Moar, one of this year's team captains, who has made significant progress from her role as a supporting player last year to now being a standout on the court.
"She's stepped up, and she's been shining out on the court."
Joining her in leadership are fellow captains Mackenzie Nickel and Renee Moar, Grace's younger sister, who, just in Grade 10, has already established herself last year as the starting setter.
Schrader shares what excites him about Moar's development.
"She's very talented and was willing to step up and take that role on in leadership. We are excited to have her."
Lexi Henderson, a Grade 11 player talks about how excited she is to be a part of this year's team.
"I'm really looking forward to tournaments this year because we never had any last year, and I feel like our lineup is pretty good."
Henderson talks about the leadership of fellow teammate Grace Moar.
"She's really good at rallying the team up and keeping everybody in a good mood and playing well together."
Looking ahead, Schrader shares that the team will not only face local rivals but will also participate in several tournaments starting in October.
"We have four (tournaments) that we're going to this year. One of those will be in Virden, which will be a big one because there are a lot of teams that span from across Manitoba and a couple teams from Saskatchewan. So that will be one of the bigger tournaments that we are in. Then we have Pembina Trails, who's the new high school based out of Winnipeg. They're in our league so we're excited to go to that tournament too, just to see a couple of different teams out that way."
As the season begins, Schrader remains optimistic about the team's chemistry and growth. With a blend of experienced and new players, PCI is sure to make a significant impact in the league this year.