Jason Stockfish | [email protected]
Earlier today, the Jasper senior boys' volleyball team, the Jasper Cougars, pulled out a huge win at the Alberta Schools' Athletic Association (ASAA) Provincial Championship in Vegreville.
Not only was this their first matchup at the 2022 Championship tournament, it was the first game a Jasper senior boys volleyball team has ever played at Provincials.
鈥淭he boys are pretty excited to play volleyball at this level. There鈥檚 a lot of good teams here, and the energy in the gym is fantastic,鈥� said Niki Wilson, the team鈥檚 manager.
In their first appearance on the big stage, the boys took it to their opponents in their Round Robin matchup, quickly going up 6-2 in the first set.
Before long the Cougars had increased their lead to seven over St. Michael鈥檚, making it 11-4, and they never looked back after that, despite the Dragons鈥� continued attempts to mount a comeback.
The Jasper squad showed their strengths in their nearly flawless first set with meticulously placed serves, super spikes and soft touches when needed, winning 25-14.
In the second set, the Dragons came out flying, fiercely tallying points to try and tame the Cougars, going up 7-3 rather quickly.
The Cougars constantly tried to claw their way back and kept their opponents to within four points, which was the spread (15-11) when coach Rob Palzat called a timeout .
Whatever the coaching staff said to their players during the break in play, it worked.
A huge save by Dylan Skinner allowed the Cougars to make it 15-12, and by the time the Dragons had 18 points on the board, so did Jasper.
The squad really tightened up from there, and with some dynamite serving and brick wall defense, Jasper continued their comeback and did not allow their opponents back into the game.
The Cougars brought the Dragons down 25-22 in the second set to win Jasper鈥檚 first-ever appearance at Provincials.
鈥淭heir hard work and passion are paying off. I鈥檓 so pumped for them,鈥� added Wilson after the contest.
Jasper鈥檚 next game is today (Nov. 24) at 4:30 p.m. against PICS from Edmonton and they play two games tomorrow, one at 1:30 p.m. against Bawlf and evening game later that day at 7:45 p.m. versus the host team, the St. Mary鈥檚 Saints.
For all those looking to cheer on the Cougars from afar, live coverage is available at
- #2 - Ethan Perepolkin
- #4 - Jude Palzat
- #7 - Michael Hayashi
- #8 - Dexter Fawcett
- #9 - Jacob Bouchard
- #10 - Dylan Skinner
- #11 - Ty Claxton
- #12 Griffin Shepherd
- # 13 - Kalan Sawchuk
- Coach - Rob Palzat
- Assistant coaches - Eric Bouchard & Theran Sawchuk
