Okanagan volleyball team captures silver at provincials
The under-16 T2 Black Volleyball Club Team brought home a silver medal from the Lower Mainland May 1 after competing for the, Division 1 provincial championship.
The win was a major accomplishment as it was the first provincial division 1 medal for under-16 girls in the Okanagan at the club level.
On the opening day of the tournament, T2 Black won all three games in two out of three sets.
On the second day, the team started with a fairly easy win in two games over Toop O Toor, the previous provincial champion team from 2018.
The second game was a major battle with Fraser Valley Volleyball Club.
After splitting the first two sets at one apiece, T2 fought hard to win the third set to move on to the gold medal game.
The championship game was against Victoria, a team T2 had beat the day before, but this time Victoria got even.
In addition to being silver medal winners, all the T2 girls are honour roll students at their schools, which include Kelowna Secondary, Okanagan Mission, Const. Neil Bruce and Mount Boucherie Secondary.
The team was coached by Tammy Thomas, who was born and raised in the Okanagan and an alumna of UBC Okanagan.
Thomas is passionate about volleyball and has played and coached at the highest level across the world throughout her career.
Thomas successfully provided a safe, healthy volleyball training environment despite facing challenges with COVID-19. The T2 coaching staff also includes Shauna King and Alannah Styles, both teachers and high school girls’ volleyball coaches for many of the girls on the club team.