By Sarah Kloos,

Special to the Valley Echo

The DTSS Senior Lakers volleyball teams had their Kootenay Zone Championships the other week.

The Senior Boys’ Kootenay Zone Championships were held at DTSS on November 16th. Sue Bradley, coach of theLakers Senior boys, had students from JA Laird make posters for each member of the team. It was a very encouraging sight to see when the team came into the gym.

The senior boys played against the Creston Bulldogs in the AA Zone Championships. There was only one gamein the Zone Championships, but it sure was a nail biter.

The first set was just a warm-up for the Lakers boys. They made some exciting plays, but sadly lost the set 25-12. The next set was tough. The boys were playing even harder than they had the last set, but Creston was a hard team to beat, and took the set 25-20. The last set was crazy. The Lakers fought hard, not giving up for a minute. They made outstanding plays and worked hard for every point. Creston would win a point, then theLakers would win the next. The intensity of the game kept the crowd on the edge of their seats. Although theLakers played their hardest, making the Bulldogs work for every point, Creston took the set at a very close 26-24. The Lakers did not go down without a fight.

The Senior Girls’ Kootenay Zone Championships were held in Castlegar on November 19th. The Lakers’ first game was against Stanley Humphrey Secondary School from Castlegar. The girls started off winning their first set 25-7. The second set ended in another win of 25-15 for the Lakers.

Next, the Lakers played the Creston Bulldogs, a team the Lakers had not yet played this season. The first set was exciting, filled with great plays. It was very close, but the Lakers won 26-24. Undefeated, the Lakers took the next set 25-5.

However, the last game before playoffs was against Selkirk Storm, a team the Lakers had a rivalry with al lseason. The first set was a tough one for the Lakers, they were trying to get back into the groove they had while playing the Bulldogs. Sadly, Selkirk took the set 25-17. The Lakers played hard the next set, winning with a score of 25-14. In the last set, the Lakers made great plays and beautiful saves, and won the set 17-15.

Five sets of playoffs were between Creston and Invermere. The first set was won by the Lakers at 25-15. The second set was much more challenging. The Bulldogs won 25-21. The Lakers lost the third set 25-22. Things were looking pretty grim for the Lakers, but they dug deep and played through their exhaustion, winning the fourth set 25-18. It was very close the whole last set, keeping coaches and team members cheering excitedly.However, in the end, the Lakers pulled through and won 15-13.

There was a lot of cheering and some of happy tears from the Lakers. Their win at Zones qualified them to go toProvincials Championships in Abbotsford. The Lakers are very excited to participate and represent Invermere.