Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Adam Donnelly

SR BOYS 'AA' VOLLEYBALL

SKSS Titans boy’s volleyball team returns to school as provincial champs

Dec 5, 2023 | 6:30 PM

KAMLOOPS — It’s a first for Kamloops. On Saturday (Dec. 2) in Langley, the SKSS Titans became Kamloops’ first boy’s high school volleyball team to win a provincial championship. They did so in dramatic fashion, as they defeated Abbotsford Christian in a five-set reverse sweep, coming back from an 0-2 deficit to win.

“I said, ‘All we need is a little bit of wind in our sails,’” Graham MacGregor, head coach, tells CFJC Today. “It just wasn’t quite there. Then, it was almost like you could feel the wind happen, and you sort of feel those shifts in the game.”

For Alex Howard, an opportunity to play a third set was huge.

“Not going to lie, I thought it was a best-of-three,” Howard says. “I thought we lost in two, so I got told there was a third set and it just hyped me up. I was ready to go.”

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The Titans went on to win that third set 25-20. After that, the players could really feel that wind billowing their sails.

“You know, anything can happen. It’s still possible,” Keenan Brulotte says. “It’s five sets for a reason. We started picking up momentum in the third set. It just really changed our whole attitude when we won that third set.”

SKSS took the fourth set 25-18, which set up a deciding fifth set for all the marbles. They were resolute in their mindset heading into that final set.

“Just the fact that it was our last game together for the rest of our lives, in high school,” Brandon Johnson explains. “We just had to do everything we possibly could for that last game, to prove that everything was worth it.”

The Titans led wire to wire in that final set — but that doesn’t mean there weren’t nervous times for the coaching staff.

“Probably at about 13 (points) I started being more positive,” Coach MacGregor says. “I think it was at about 13-10, or something like that.”

Image Credit: CFJC Today

And when that final point hit the floor?

“It was pretty exciting,” Johnson recalls. “If you watch the live stream, you can see I ran a couple laps of the court after that point. I was pretty happy. Lots of yelling, screaming and having all our friends from the rest of the province come in a celebrate with us was pretty cool.”

The team placed a medal at the memorial that has pooped up on McGill Road, honouring the three TRU WolfPack volleyball players involved in last week’s tragic accident. The Titans have three players committed to playing for TRU once they graduate from high school.

Image Credit: CFJC Today

“It was a pretty difficult time back at home, as a lot of people know, so that was on our minds a lot,” said Lofgren. “With three [SKSS] guys being committed to TRU, it’s super special and it’s a moment they’re going to remember for the rest of their lives. Hopefully, they can recreate those types of moments for TRU, moving forward in their careers.”