The Estevan Comprehensive School (ECS) Senior Boys’ Volleyball team made an impressive showing at regionals over the weekend in Moose Jaw, earning a spot in the upcoming provincials. The Elecs finished with a strong record of three wins and one loss.
“We lost our semi-final to Balgonie, but then rebounded and won the bronze medal,” said head coach Bryton Such.
Such noted that the match against Balgonie was one of the best the team has faced this season.
“It was fun,” he said. “I think that our matchup against Balgonie was one of the best that I’ve seen them play, which as a coach is so much fun to have a really good game against a team that you match up well with. So it’s fun to see the boys grow and to have to execute on each play, so I was happy to get to play against them and then make us work for every point we got, and ultimately they came out on top in that matchup.”
Such added that he’s looking forward to a potential rematch, as Balgonie will also be competing in provincials, which will be hosted in Balgonie this weekend.
Reflecting on the tournament, Such highlighted the team’s strengths in specific areas. “Overall, we serve-received really well,” he said. “Our passing was really good, so we had a lot of options offensively, which is something that we’ve been working on in practice—being creative as an offensive attacker.”
The team still has a few areas to improve before provincials, according to Such, and they’ll be focusing on fine-tuning those aspects this week. He praised the Elecs for their growth and competitive spirit against strong teams. “I think that we played some really, really good volleyball against some really good teams this weekend,” he said. “It’s obviously awesome to get to play against some high-level teams because it shows us where we are at and where we need to be by the end of the season.”
Reflecting on the season, Such said his favorite moments weren’t always on the court. “I think it’s having a great group of guys together enjoying a sport that they all love,” he said. “It’s just awesome to see them bond together and grow closer as a group, making inside jokes and just having fun at hotels, just goofing off and being teenage boys is really nice to see, so that’s one of the biggest highlights.”
He also recalled the Co-op challenge as another highlight, expressing appreciation for the community support. “It’s awesome to see communities come out and support not only their schools, but volleyball in general,” he said. “We have a team that is going to be exciting to come out and watch for the next couple of years.”
Having moved to Estevan from Alberta, Such noted that the local rivalries are reminiscent of the sports culture he grew up with. “I kind of compare it to when Calgary plays Edmonton. You just have that extra little bit of fun when it’s a rivalry match,” he said. “It’s awesome to see something that I experienced growing up and having my team have that same opportunity and for them to be enjoying it just as much—it’s super nostalgic.”
Such is expecting tough competition at provincials, where the season will conclude. “I think that there are 10 amazing volleyball teams there this weekend. I think that anyone, if they play their best volleyball, can be winning that tournament, which makes it super dangerous because every single game, every single point, you have to be locked in, you have to be executing at a high level. There’s not going to be any teams that you go in there and get to relax. It’s going to be a battle every single game that you play.”
Looking ahead, Such said the focus now is on refining small details. “At this point in time in the season, it’s a little bit of cleaning up, little, tiny things and mostly just having fun,” he said. “It’s the end of the season, and these boys just need to be in a headspace that they can execute on the skills that they already know and have learned, and that they know they can execute on.”
As the team prepares to wrap up their high school season, Such expressed gratitude for the community’s support. “It’s awesome to see people come out and support us as a young and growing team, and we look forward to having that continued support throughout the rest of the year and for the rest of these guys’ high school seasons,” he said.