As summer begins to cool down, the volleyball courts at Carpenter High School are beginning to heat up. High school volleyball season is officially underway in Meadow Lake and across the province, as student athletes prepare for another season of fun and excitement. 

“Tryouts were yesterday and again today,” remarked CHS Senior ‘A’ boys volleyball coach Cheyne Dallyn when interviewed Sept. 3. “After that, we will announce our teams. We are running three teams on the boys side this year – Senior ‘A’, Senior ‘B’ and a Grade 9 team. We started having three teams about three years ago, and, this year, our tryouts saw more athletes come out than ever before… A lot of kids in Meadow Lake play volleyball, and there is a lot of opportunities out there to get them interested in the sport. It’s pretty unbelievable how many people in our community put time into promoting the sport. That is a big help.” All three boys teams will be in action for the first time this coming weekend. The Senior ‘A’ squad will be at St. Mary High School in Prince Albert, the Senior ‘B’ team will compete at home and the Grade 9 crew will be at a tournament in Lloydminster. 

“We have a veteran crew on the ‘A’ team this year,” Dallyn continued. “We won the provincial championship last season, which was the goal from the very start of the season. To be able to accomplish that goal was a pretty nice feat. This season, we have 10 returning players including eight Grade 12s. It’s a similar team to what we had last year, so we’re looking to try to make another run at provincials and to have a successful season at all the tournaments.” The Senior ‘A’ boys will not be hosting a home tournament of its own this year because of the way scheduling has gone, but CHS will be hosting the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association provincial volleyball championships at the end of the season. “That will be Nov. 27 and 28,” Dallyn added. He also said the biggest thing right now is the fact so many young athletes continue to be interested in the game. “I’m looking forward to growing that interest even more and seeing our athletes continue to grow throughout the semester,” Dallyn said. 

Meanwhile, on the girls side, CHS also has three volleyball teams this year including a Grade 9, Senior ‘B’ and a Senior ‘A’ squad, the latter of which is coached by Dean Gauthier and Jim Snodgrass. “The Senior girls team is an athletic, strong team, and we hope to build upon last season’s successes and perform well at provincials in November,” Snodgrass said. Last season, the Senior ‘A’ girls competed at its SHSAA 4A championship in North Battleford, defeating Luther College High School from Regina before going on to defeat Nipawin, Melfort and Vanier Collegiate from Moose Jaw. In the quarterfinal against Tisdale, the girls won again before falling in the semi-finals to the team from Lumsden. The girls’ first tournament of the season is scheduled for Sept. 12 and 13. “Our first tournament is always exciting because we play at the Physical Activity Complex (PAC) at the University of Saskatchewan,” Snodgrass noted.