By Bob Carter
Jeremy Westereng had a good time in the Vancouver city tournament, despite his Killarney team losing a close match to host Vancouver Tech in the final.
“We had a blast at Van Tech,” he said. “For all the time you put in, it was worth it. And now we somehow topped it.”
Westereng’s Cougars avenged that defeat Thursday at the Big Kahuna BC Volleyball Championships with a pulsating, five-set upset of third-seeded Tech and standout Colton Liu.
The victory sent the Cougars to Friday’s AAA quarterfinals and ended the title dream of Tech, which had been ranked second or third in BC all season.
The Talismen had a late 3-point lead in the fourth, but Killarney rallied for the set and then raced to a big lead lead in the fifth. Down 14-4, Tech scrambled for three points, players hitting the floor with abandon to keep balls alive.
The round of 16 match then ended with a hit by Justin Mo, giving the Cougars the win, 25-19, 18-25, 21-25, 26-24, 15-7.
How did Killarney do it?
“Teamwork, consistency, communication, the attitude that nobody’s a hero, Westereng said. “We don’t get easy points. We have to be patient and trust our digging, our hands.”
The coach lauded the play of grade 12 setter Jackson Kuan and grade 11 libero James Joseph but emphasized the Cougars’ team fabric.
“The serve-receive was good as well as ball control and positioning,” Westereng said. “They’re skilled, not huge.”
And on Thursday, capable of the tournament’s biggest triumph so far.
Sent from my iPad
