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Knights adjust to peak at Canmore

It’s good to have plenty of skills when you face a Canadian Rockies challenge.
Annelise Hielema of the Holy Trinity Academy Knights hits a spike over the Oilfields Drillers at HTA on Sept. 28.
Annelise Hielema of the Holy Trinity Academy Knights hits a spike over the Oilfields Drillers at HTA on Sept. 28.

It’s good to have plenty of skills when you face a Canadian Rockies challenge.

The Holy Trinity Academy Knights had to reshuffle their line-up last weekend, but they were still able to deliver a golden hand at the Canmore Crusaders senior girls volleyball tournament.

“Our girls worked really well together, regardless of who is on the floor we have an all-around strong team,” said Knights coach Crystal Anderson. “We have a cohesive unit and they are able to adapt. We had a new setter because our setter was at right side. We also had a new libero. We are so versatile and we were able to come together.”

They waltzed to the gold medal by downing H.J. Cody High School from Sylvan Lake 25-16, 25-11 in the final. Adelle Herr took over the starting reins at setter for the tourney when captain Dora Komlodi was moved to right side. Meanwhile, Julia Simard, the usual right side, was mopping up the floor with her jersey as libero. Danielle Forester, a power, also missed the tournament. All in a day’s work, according to the captain.

“I played setter and right side last year too, so I had fun playing right side this weekend,” Komlodi said. “And Julia went in at libero with a positive attitude and played really well.”

The Knights regular libero, Cara Masi, was injured in practice last week. The Knights big swinger was Annelise Hielema who got a large number of points for HTA with her hits and blocks. They went undefeated in the tournament, its only test coming from a frisky Medicine Hat team.

“The only team that really challenged us was McCoy in the semifinal,” Anderson said. “They took us to a third set and we won by three (15-12).”

The Knights are coming off a strong 2015 season, but will be in tough this season.

The Knights are playing their first year as a 4A school as attendance has creeped past the 800-mark.

They proved they belonged earlier this season by finishing fifth at the U of C tournament, one of the biggest in Alberta, in September.

HTA sits atop the Foothills Athletic Council with a 3-0 record after blanking the Oilfields Drillers on Sept. 28.

The Knights won’t be back on the court until they travel to Vulcan to take on the County Central Hawks on Oct. 12.

Falcons bobbin’ along

The Foothills Falcons were mere steps away from being on the podium at the Bobcats Senior Volleyball tournament at Calgary’s Bishop O’Byrne High School.

The boys finished fourth, losing in two sets to the Bishop O’Leary Spartans, Saturday afternoon.

Foothills shocked the hometown O’Byrne Bobcats in the quarterfinal.

“We were happy to get a chance to play the home school and we beat them which was good,” Falcons coach Megan Skory said. “We played St. Francis in the semifinal and we beat them in pool play, but we just ran out of gas.”

She said it was a good learning experience for the squad.

“There were some bumps along the way, but we proved against Bishop O’Byrne that we can play against some top teams.”

She said Matt Greenshields and the Bens, Ben Rahn and Ben Parkinson, had a strong tournament.

The Falcons girls team won the consolation side, downing the host Bobcats in the final.

“I’ve been playing everybody all the way through,” Falcons coach Corey Cowper said. “We are working through some things together, so it went okay.”

He said the highlight of the tournament was beating the Centennial Coyotes in the tournament opener.

The boys opened their FAC season on Oct. 4 in Vulcan, but results were too late for the Wheel’s publication deadline.

The girls are 2-0 in FAC and take on the Hawks Oct. 5 in Vulcan.

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