Jason Stockfish | [email protected]
The Jasper Cougars senior boys’ volleyball team came to win in their fifth game of the Provincial Championship in Vegreville this afternoon, and so that is precisely what they did.
Coming into their playoff game against the Paul Rowe Raiders from Manning, AB, Jasper was 3-1 in the tournament, with their only loss being a nailbiter against the Bawlf Wildcats yesterday.
The Cougars got on the board first, which came as no surprise to anyone who has been following how these Jasper boys have performed in the championship tournament.Â
It also would come as little surprise to those same people to hear that Michael Hayashi served for the first six points, leaving the Raiders staring at a goose egg on the scoreboard.
Jasper's first point came as Hayashi offered a deft touch that left the Manning players scrambling, while the second and third came on his serves as the Raiders were trying to regroup.
Manning made it 4-0 for Jasper when they failed to get it over the net and were unable to get on the board before the Cougars’ Kalan Sawchuck sent some serious heat their way for the half-dozenth point.
Jasper’s Dexter Fawcett sent his opponents two strong serves to tally the eighth and ninth points for the Cougars, and Ty Claxton followed suit on his serve to put them up 10-4.
They started to pull away from the Raiders when Dylan Skinner smashed one home as Sawchuck put up a convincing fake.
Claxton once again air bombed the Raiders with a serve for Jasper’s twelfth point before Manning made it 12-5.
Jacob Bouchard pulled out one of his spectacular saves to allow his squad to get to 15, and then a devastating Hayashi Hammer came crashing down to make it 16-7.
The Cougars established a 10-point lead on a serve from Skinner, which they essentially held onto until Sawchuck placed a gorgeous serve that would go unreturned, giving his team the win at 25-15.
The second set saw a strong start for Manning as they scored the first three points.
Claxton put Jasper on the board with a searing spike, and teammate Ethan Perepolkin followed in similar fashion with the Cougars third to make it 7-3 for the other guys.
Hayashi opted to tip and stuff Jasper’s fifth and sixth to put them within one, Skinner contributed number seven, and Claxton stuffed the ball to tie the set at eight.Â
A killer serve from Skinner dropped among the Raiders' players to give Jasper the lead, and it was a lead they would not relinquish.
From that point on, the Cougars showed everyone watching exactly why they were spending the weekend in Vegreville, and it wasn’t to see the world’s second largest pysanka.
When the Raiders called a time out it was 20-15, but time wasn’t going to help them solve how to stop Jasper from getting the final five points they needed to advance, which they did in spectacular fashion.
Jasper’s final point came on a high-flying, blistering serve from Skinner that must have had the Raiders thinking he was going to come crashing through the net.
Their second last game begins in moments.
After that, they either play in the finals or for bronze.
If they bring the brilliance and ferocity that they displayed against the Raiders, a brick wall may not stop them now.
