The Paul Kane Blues are ranked fifth in the 16-team seeding bracket at the 4A provincial women’s volleyball tournament, starting Thursday at Hunting Hills High School in Red Deer.
The metro Edmonton premier conference champions will play the Notre Dame of Red Deer, Strathcona Lords and William Aberhart in their four-team round robin pool to rank teams five through eight in the tournament’s round of 16 Friday.
Seeded first and second respectively are the Western Canada Redmen and Centennial Coyotes. The Spruce Grove Panthers are third and Catholic Central is fourth.
The tournament website is www.asaa.ca.
Last week in the Edmonton zone final, the public league champion Panthers defeated the Blues 25-19, 19-25, 23-25, 25-23, 15-13 at Paul Kane. Rounding out the Edmonton zone teams at provincials is Strathcona, seeded seventh, and the ninth-seeded Harry Ainlay Titans.
In league play, playoffs and the zone final, the Blues finished 11-4 (38 GW/18 GL) overall.
In tournament action, the Blues won three finals, including a repeat victory at the Lions Western Canadian Challenge, and finished second once in five competitions.
In last year’s zone elimination tournament the Blues finished third out of four qualifiers. At provincials they placed seventh at 4-3.
The last provincial women’s championship by a Paul Kane volleyball team was 1986 by the lady Blues. The highest finish by a St. Albert women’s team at provincials was by the fourth-place Bellerose Bulldogs in 2003 as the host team.
The Sturgeon Spirits are ranked 15th out of 16 teams in the seeding bracket at the 4A provincial men’s volleyball tournament at Lindsay Thurber High School in Red Deer.
In Thursday’s round robin to rank teams 13th through 16th for Friday’s round of 16, Sturgeon is pooled with the Medicine Hat Mohawks, Lord Beaverbrook Lords and Westwood Trojans.
Visit www.asaa.ca for the provincial draw.
Sturgeon earned a provincial berth as the fourth and last Edmonton zone qualifier. In the zone elimination tournament, Surgeon defeated the Archbishop Jordan Scots in four sets and knocked off the Ross Sheppard Thunderbirds in five sets. In the playoff match to rank teams third and fourth in the zone, Sturgeon fell in three sets to the Jasper Place Rebels.
In the metro Edmonton premier conference, Sturgeon and the Scots shared third spot. In the semifinals Sturgeon lost out to the Bev Facey Falcons in four sets.
Sturgeon’s overall record in league play, playoffs and zones was 9-5 (29 GW/25 GL).
