2023 was a banner season for St. Mary Marauder volleyball.
Both the boys and girls teams took home the 5A provincial title, with each team defeating Swift Current in the final.
Marauder boys return experienced group
In the final against Swift Current last year, the Marauders took the opening set 25-19 and dropped the second set 25-22. The third set would be one for the ages with St. Mary capturing the decisive set 16-14 in a back-and-forth set that included a replay and St. Mary staving off two match points.
Marauder head coach Rene Quintal says St. Mary is returning an experienced roster in 2024, with all of them being contributors for the team at some point last season.
“We have nine grade 12s who were on the provincial roster the entire year and then three affiliate players that finished the season with us. All 12 of our players were at provincials on our roster last year. I think over the years they’ve played quite a bit of volleyball with each other, whether it’s school volleyball, club volleyball, beach volleyball, provincial teams, so we have really good continuity, really good team chemistry.”
With the 2024 Marauder boys featuring nine players in Grade 12, Quintal says St. Mary will look to handle strong serves from their opponents and be able to strike back.
“I think our strength will be our serve reception, so we have a good strong core group of serve receivers, Thomas Cyr, who was the libero of the Saskatchewan provincial team. Zander Bissky was a receiver on the Saskatchewan provincial team, so those two receivers kind of quarterbacking reception is really going to help us.”
Last season, the Marauders boys did not feature a physically dominant player in their lineup and played a scrappy, defensive game to win the provincial title last year relying on their serve reception and spike defense.
With the entire roster returning, Quintal says there has been some notable physical improvements from players thanks to offseason training
“The defensive skills are really good, I think the team really dedicated themselves to the weight room, in the offseason we have huge vertical gains. We’ve been able to take the off season and dedicate ourselves to the weight room to do a real good job of improving that area.”
Left side Thomas Cyr is one of the key returnees for the Marauders. Entering his Grade 12 season, Cyr says he is looking forward to the season ahead and that the Marauders have big expectations for themselves.
“I’m super excited. We have lots of momentum going into this season and I think we have a really special chance to go back to back here.”
Cyr added the team’s ability to perform under pressure in the final last year will be important in 2024.
“It’s going to help a lot. We have lots of experience going up and down and through the motions of the game and I don’t think any other team has as much experience as we do.”
Marauder Girls looking to rely on youth in 2024
The 2024 Marauder girls volleyball team will feature several new faces after graduating seven players from last year’s team.
Head coach Shaun Hunko says the Marauders are looking forward to getting the new season underway.
“We have eight new players this year, ranging in ages. Very different from last year, obviously. I think every year brings something exciting and there’s a lot of young energy. It’s welcoming. It’s a new change, new adventure and it’s something different. We’re really excited and looking forward to this.”
At this point a year ago, the Marauder girls had their sights firmly set on returning to the provincial final after falling in the final in 2022.
With major turnover on the roster, Hunko says St. Mary is just focusing on improving as a team and seeing where the cards fall.
“I think the main thing for us this year is just keep our focus very narrow. It’s just day to day. Let’s just get a little bit better each day and things will work themselves out at the end of the year. Last year, our focus from day one was to win provincials. I think with this group, just because we’re young, the most important thing is just keeping that focus narrow. We need to learn as much as possible this season and learn from those experiences as quick as possible. The quicker and sooner you can learn from those experiences, you’re going to have more success on the court.”
With five returning players from last year’s team, Hunko says those players are going to be looked at as leaders having been a part of a championship team.
“Only one team got the gold medal last year, so we have five returning players. They’re the only five in the province in 5A Girls that got to experience what it takes for a gold medal.”
One of the returning players for St. Mary is setter Cate Rapin, who is entering her Grade 12 season. Rapin was a starting setter for St. Mary last year and will look to be a key contributor for the Marauders this season.
Rapin says she is looking forward to the upcoming season and that St. Mary will exceed expectations this year.
“I’m very excited, we have a very good group of girls with a high ceiling so I think that we’re going to improve lots so just watch out because we’re coming for you.”
sports@paherald.sk.ca
