KSS national champion
Photo: Contributed
Sometimes a little bit of adversity makes you stronger.
The Kelowna Secondary Owls take home a gold medal and provincial title after struggling to reach the BC School Sports AAA volleyball championship.
They were supposed to host the tournament, but with the closure of all non-essential travel on major highways connecting inland to the coast, the team had to cobble together an estimated $ 20,000 to fly to the Lower Mainland to claim the title play.
Then the starting power hitter, Sebastien Manuel, suffered a broken and dislocated little finger in the second game of the tournament.
“We literally lost the best hitter on our team. The guys pulled together and showed how strong we are as a team. That we could still do it without our number one guy. It was very special, ”said Head Coach Mike Sodaro.
Even so, they won in style, won the competition, and beat Surrey’s Elgin Park Secondary School in the finals.
The Owls hit a phenomenal record of 48-1 (99-9 in sets won-lost) and dropped just one game on the season’s opening weekend.
For Sodaro it was lucky for the sixth time. His teams had to be content with silver medals at five previous provincial championships.
“It’s also 68 years since the Kelowna Secondary Boys volleyball team won a provincial championship. The last time they won it was in 1953, “said Sodaro.
