LANGLEY- by Derek Shuel
Earl Marriott sets sail for another AAA championship berth This AAA semi-final match up between #7 OKM Huskies and the highly decorated #1 Earl Marriott Mariners was not billed as one of the premiere games to take in. But as we all know, Provincial Championship Volleyball is anything but predictable!
Earl Marriott’s Talon McMullin blocking while (1) Josh Quiring is ready to dig an OKM ball during semi final action.
The first set saw the Huskies explode out of the gate and take an impressive 10-5 lead followed up by a 17-12 lead! For those who have followed Mariner volleyball over the last few years, no one would be surprised to see this team stay calm and composed and battle back to a 25-23 win.
The next set was a thriller to watch at the beginning with each team battling for each point. With a 7-7 and 10-10 start, it truly was any one’s game. This is where Marriott begins to shine as a team. As coach Dale Quiring quoted,
“We are dialed in, locked and loaded”.He continued with “We have maintained a positive attitude. We are family, we stick together”. But it goes further than that, “I love these guys” coach Quiring said.
As the head coach of this team at the Junior level, he led them to an astonishing 38-0 with no sets lost. Furthermore, Earl Marriott is also the reigning AAA boys Provincial Champions. This is just a continuation of this belief in themselves to overcome any obstacle at any level that comes into their path. The final set of the semi-final didn’t come easy as the OKM setter Kael Murphy was outstanding. He knew his teams’ back was against the wall and he used every piece that was available to him in this battle. And what a battle it was! With the score tied up at 24-24, the OKM fans urged the Huskies on! Unfortunately, Marriott’s calm demeanor and the ability to weather the storms when they came, were too great a factor in this match. The Mariners took the set 27-25 to advance once again to the championship match vs. Kelowna Secondary who prevailed in the other semi-final vs. Claremont.
Game time for the AAA boys Gold medal game is slated for 5:00 at the Langley Events Center.
