The KVC Lightning wrapped up a spectacular season with a tournament in Regina and the head coach couldn't be prouder of his group.
"It was an exciting weekend of volleyball," Cerrill Outhwaite said with a smile. "We got lots of play in. On the first day, we ended up playing in 15 or 16 sets over the course of the day, it was a marathon of volleyball. The temperatures were really high, like it was back in Manitoba, and the gym was quite warm, so not only did the girls have to battle through high level competition, but the conditions as well. We had a jam packed schedule, on top of that."
Outhwaite says this group has been so impressive with how they've handled any hurdles. "They are just so mentally tough, some other things that kind of added on to it, we didn't realize we were going to a tournament that had some 16U teams there. The level of play was really high, the net we were playing at was 4cm higher, and then again, the number of games plus the weather. For these young girls to come through and play so well, we had a great weekend, we were in every single match, we won some matches, we played in the consolation final, it was just a great weekend of volleyball. They really built some memories that will last a life time."
Tough times can bring a team together and Outhwaite says that's exactly what happened in Regina, a close group got closer and they elevated their game. "Every chance we had to go outside of our comfort zone, it's going to add to their experience. Next year, we're looking as a team at moving to the Jr. Varsity league at the high school. Even just this one tournament will really add to their competitive experience and they'll be able to fall back on what they experienced and the group will be better for it."
Seeing the girls get to build friendships on the road is also something Outhwaite says is a big takeaway from the weekend. "There's a lot of team building opportunities for us. We were on the court pretty much all the time during the day, but the evenings, we could go for meals, we went to an escape room where they could go through those challenges. Even some of the parents went and did a different escape room. Those experiences on these multi-day trips where team building happens off the floor, staying in a hotel, getting up early, having breakfast together, those things really add to the development of the team and the success we'll have in the future."
Letting the kids be kids was huge for Outhwaite. "They do such a good job of bonding off the court. Some of these girls have known each other since kindergarten. It's a seamless thing that once the game is over, we have things planned and it's so exciting to see the parents act like kids. They're getting their faces painted, have ribbons in their hair, it's so much fun. Our fans travel so well, the girls had so much support and felt the love all weekend."
There's a little time off for Outhwaite but he's already prepping for next year. "I'm putting together a schedule for next year, looking at getting us in some tournaments, seeing when we'll host our own tournament. We're going to do some beach volleyball in town this year, so we'll start that up with a team wind up and we'll make sure they keep things up through the summer. Then about a week before school starts, we'll get the girls back in the gym and get ready for the next season."