The results indicated the Riverside Rapids had a monopoly on the competition at last weekend's high-calibre Red Serge Classic senior girls high school volleyball tournament in Port Coquitlam.
Rapids head coach Bryan Gee said there was much more to it than simply passing 'Go.'
"I wouldn't say we were dominant," said Gee, despite his second-seeded B.C. AAAA squad's 25-15, 25-23 squashing of the top-ranked McMath Wildcats of Richmond in Saturday's final of the 12th annual, 10-team tournament. "All of the matches were very competitive and the scores do no necessarily reflect the level of competition for each and every point."
Gee equally downplayed his unit's 25-13, 25-18 semifinal thumping of the always-formidable Handsworth Royals of North Vancouver, along with its four straight-sets victories in round-robin pool play over squads that included North Delta's Seaquam Seahawks, the No. 1-ranked B.C. AAA team.
"Other teams at this point in the season have some injuries and illnesses, so we really just view this tournament as great practise," Gee said. "The girls are playing well as one unit right now, working hard to get a little better with every game and practice, [but] by no means are we satisfied with where we are yet. We still have a long way to go.
"We did take some time to embrace [the] accomplishment but our team knows that it's just preparation for the provincials and that the provincials will be the most difficult part of the season where we'll have to play our absolute best."
Final standings, in order, were Riverside, McMath, Handsworth and Seaquam, followed by a four-way tie for fifth spot (Charles Best, Earl Marriott, Kelowna and Heritage Woods). Pinetree and McRoberts rounded out the finishers.
Riverside's Mallory Sall was chosen tournament MVP, while her teammate, Katie Woo, was named to the all-star team along with Katrina Tolentino (McMath), Tessa Davis (Earl Marriott), Kira Tome (Seaquam), Emily Oxland (Handsworth) and Juliana Kaufmanis (McMath).
