A tough, two-set loss to the eventual champions in the semifinal may have been all that stood between the KSS Owls and the gold medal at the 2016 Best of the West senior boys volleyball tournament.
The Owls led Pacific Academy—a power in AA volleyball in B.C.—in both games but couldn't finish off either one, losing 25-21 and 28-28.
Pacific went on to beat the MEI Eagles in the final while the Owls finished in a tie for third.
Despite the loss, Owls head coach Mike Sodaro was pleased with how his top-ranked AAA team performed.
"The boys are playing very good volleyball and we learned a lot about ourselves this weekend and are a top AAA team heading into the second half of the year," Sodaro said.
The Owls started the tournament strong by winning their power pool, including defeating eventual finalists, MEI.
Among the teams KSS defeated to advance to the semi-finals included the Mt. Boucherie Bears in the quarterfinal round.
The George Elliot Coyotes had a strong weekend, losing out to MEI in the quarterfinals of the championship draw.
The OKM Huskies also had a good weekend, winning their power pool and placing 13th overall out of 40 teams.
Girls draw…
Langley Christian defeated Pacific Academy in the final to win the girls' edition of the Best of the West tourney, featuring 36 teams.
The KSS Owls lost to Langley Christian in the quarterfinals and finished in a tie for fifth.
The George Elliot Coyotes beat Fulton and Seaton on the consolation side and finished in ninth, while the OKM girls were 11th.
The Immaculata Mustangs beat Mt. Boucherie to win the Yellow Division.