INUVIK
Teams from East Three Secondary School have returned from the biggest volleyball tournament of the season in Yellowknife, bringing home with them a great experience.

Inuvik East Three Eagle Keenen Wolki-Jacobson spikes it against the Sir John Franklin Falcons at the Sr. Spike It! volleyball tournament at St. Patrick High School in Yellowknife on Nov. 1. - Walter Strong/NNSL photo

"I had a really good time, it was fun," said junior girls player Lauren Ross. "Playing all the different teams and meeting different people was good."

The junior girls team finished second in the round robin and fifth overall out of 14 teams in the first week of the tournament Oct. 24 and 25 while the junior boys finished second to last of eight teams.

It was the senior girls and boys' turn last weekend, with the U19 girls failing to make the finals in their tier and the U19 boys losing in the semi-final.

One highlight for Ross was a game against Weledeh in which the Inuvik team lost the first set, but then came back in two more sets to win the game.

"It was fun seeing people I've met through other sports again," Ross said, adding that the most important parts of the trip definitely happened off the court, having fun in the hotel and getting to and from games.

"It was fun to get out of town," said Jacob Lennie, who played on the boys' U19 team. "I got along with my teammates and had a good time."

He agreed with Ross, saying the best parts of the trip were more about the friendships off the court and activities in a bigger centre.

Girls coach Britney Selina said the boys also had a couple of close games and played well, but that the best part was seeing the two teams turn out to cheer for each other. Ross, however, has a slightly different take on that dynamic.

"When we went to the boys' games, we screamed and cheered," she said. "But when they came to ours they were super quiet."

Still, the atmosphere was supportive and players came home happy, ready to tag off their older counterparts headed to the second part of the tournament the following weekend.

"Yellowknife does a really good job of hosting the tournament every year. There were a lot of teams, especially girls teams," Selina said. "Both teams exceeded our expectations and played really well."

She also said it was good to see new and familiar faces from other schools while in the capital, crediting fellow coach Nicole McDonald as an amazing support system while there.

"It was great getting to know new faces and seeing how sports bring everyone together and that camaraderie that comes with it," she said.

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