It was an earlier end to the season than the St. Martin de Porres senior boys’ volleyball team hoped for Nov. 12, when the Kodiaks went out in the quarterfinals of the Calgary Senior High Schools Athletic Association (CSHSAA) Division 3 playoffs.
Despite qualifying as the second seed with a 7-3 regular-season record, the Kodiaks fell in five sets against the seventh-seeded Nelson Mandela United, in the first post-season match.
“We were a little flat and didn’t play as well on defence and block as we could have,” said head coach Edmund Crame, adding St. Martin was missing one of its tallest players, who lines up at middle. “The games stayed close the whole time, and obviously when you get to a fifth set, it’s a little bit auto-pilot – you just have to do what you can.
“Sometimes, the pressure builds, the momentum shifts and there’s the game.”
The team went through a rebuild this season, after making it to the Division 2 championship match in 2018 and qualifying for the 3A provincial championships. With a younger roster this year, the Kodiaks opted to compete in Div. 3.
“Obviously, when you get to playoffs and don’t win, it’s disappointing, but I do think it’s one of those things where you need to focus not so much on winning, but on development,” Crame said. “I know we had a lot of improvement, so you can’t ask for much more than that."
Bishop McNally – the team that edged St. Martin de Porres for the top seed in Division 3 with an unbeaten 10-0 record – went on to win the playoffs with a four-set victory over Father Lacombe in the championship match.
"Bishop McNally was the best team, for sure, but I thought we were competitive against them and with any of the teams in our league," Crame said.
