
The Carlton Crusaders boys volleyball team got better as the weekend went on and were rewarded with a 5A provincial bronze medal in Balgonie and White City.
Carlton head coach Curtis Bender says the Crusaders were able to overcome some early adversity.
“We started off a little bit slower. It actually took us a while to get going, but I thought as the weekend went on, we just kind of progressed and got better and better. We just had a really good Saturday there. I’m really proud of the boys and how they were able to compete and just get better as the weekend went on.”
Carlton split their first two matches of the day against Swift Current and Regina Winston Knoll. After falling to Saskatoon Aden Bowman in their final match on Friday, the Crusaders needed a strong performance on Saturday to guarantee a spot in the playoff bracket and would get just that, knocking off Regina LeBoldus in straight sets.
Bender says Carlton was able to stay composed despite the early struggles on Friday.
“It was big for us because all year we’ve preached process. It doesn’t matter how we start and it doesn’t matter with the setback or where we finished in tournaments throughout the year. Just trusting the coaches and making sure that we’re doing the right things to get better. The boys really bought into that and realized that this is a process. It doesn’t matter how you start the season, but just keep doing the right thing. You’ll keep improving and it paid off for us in the end.”
Finishing fourth in Pool A, the Crusaders would face Lloydminster in the quarterfinals who finished first in Pool B. Carlton would embrace the underdog role and earn the win in a three set match that went to extra points in the third and deciding set.
In the semi-final, Carlton would fall to the eventual provincial champion in Saskatoon St. Joseph in straight sets.
In the bronze medal match, Carlton would secure a spot on the podium with a win in three sets over Regian Winston Knoll. The Crusaders finished fourth at provincials in 2023 when they hosted the tournament.
Bender says coming out the tournament with a medal was massive for the program.
“It’s massive, there’s something to be said for those guys to actually have something to show for this year. It just kind of kind of reiterates that process that we’ve been talking about, but it is nice to get a little bit of hardware and to kind of reward the guys for the years that they put in. We’ve had some guys for four years now and it’s been really cool to see them grow as volleyball players and then as people as well. It’s a very cool process.”
“We had a lot of different things go on this year. For us to come together, that is big. I don’t think you can win as a team, if you have a bunch of individuals or guys that don’t come together and don’t believe in each other.”
In the final, Saskatoon St. Joseph defeated Saskatoon Aden Bowman.
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