Van Tech Girls Make Provincials for the First Time, in a Long Time
Since 1940, when girls were first allowed to attend Vancouver Technical Secondary School, very few Senior Girls Team has ever made it to the BC High School AAA Volleyball Championships.
This year’s Van Tech Talismen had their best year since the 1963 team that won the Provincial Championships over Abbotsford Secondary, and enter the BC High School Girls Volleyball AAAA Provincial Championships as the No. 10 seed.
But like Rome, this team wasn’t built in a day, with many of these girls starting out together as Grade 8 players.
“They all started out young together with a good coach in Glenn Wheatley (Grade 9 Girls coach) for their first few years,” said coach Thi Nguyen, as he explained what was different with this year’s team, from teams in the past. “We kind of got a little lucky as well, with having a good group of kids this year.”
Grade 12 player and team captain, Meaghan Smith has been a key part to the team’s success this year and thinks it’s exciting to be a part of the first Talismen team to make it to Provincials in a long time.
“We knew from the beginning of the season what we wanted to do this year (make it to Provincials),” Smith said. “We were pretty close to making it to Provincials last year, so having those types of goals this year is what is different from last year’s team.”
Team hustle has also a been a big component of the team’s success, as rarely a point goes by that this gritty team doesn’t have someone diving and ball or leaving everything they have on the court.
Grade 12 player, Natasha Tierney, believe this team has great chemistry and that is why we see so many players committing to hustling on each play.
“I think it comes from playing to win for ourselves, but also to win for our teammates,” Tierney said.
And as for expectations this year’s team, Nguyen believe his team has played well so far, with the goal of finishing in the top-8.
The Talismen went 2-1 on Day-1 of the AAAA Senior High School Girls Volleyball Provincial Championships.
For the rest of Day-1’s AAAA Senior Girls results, CLICK HERE.
