Sports Editor’s note: This story was submitted by YXY Beach Volleyball Club Head Coach Shannon Poelman.

The YXY Beach Volleyball Club sent teams to two tournaments recently.

Five teams went to the B.C. Beach Volleyball Provincials in Vancouver on Aug. 4-6.

The teams were:

Noah Zaidan & Jeremias Velasquez Lopez – 13/14U Boys

Annalie Johnson & Ryley Ryckman – 14U Girls

Sadie Cairns-McDowell & Maya Heebink – 17/18U Girls

Zuri Howard & Erin King – 17/18U Girls

Jennifer Tuton & Lily Kremer – 1 Star Tournament

The tournament took place at Spanish Banks in Vancouver and included 39 courts with over 300 athletes from all over B.C., taking in competition with youth divisions from 13U–18U male and female, as well as an adult tournament 1 & 2 Star competition.

Zaidan and Valesquez-Lopez (14U boys) competed in Pool C, and got off to a slow start as nerves and different courts and balls took a bit getting used to. These two rose to the challenge; their confidence and skill level jumped in leaps and bounds, with them winning the third game, placing them third in the pool and moving into the semi-finals.

They really solidified as a team and showed amazing strategic thought and ball placement, using skill to take down the opponents over the next two games, bringing them to their last game for first place in Tier 2. They took the game to three sets and lost by a three point spread. They were disappointed but super happy and proud of what they accomplished over the weekend – and we were all so proud of them and their never-give-up attitude and pushing themselves.

Johnson and Ryckman (14U girls) competed in Pool A. After a bit of a rough start, their confidence grew, showing growth and improvement with each game, resulting in a closer score spread. They ended up placing fourth in their pool and went on to an overall placement of 23rd. I reminded the girls that all of these athletes were competing in tournaments every weekend over their season, and this was their first big tournament – they did awesome and kept their spirits up with a positive attitude. I asked them how they felt and they said they had lots of fun.

Howard and King (17/18U girls) competed in Pool C. After a little bit of a slow start for this team – I think nerves and the size of the competition made for a slow warm up – their confidence was building over each game, and they really started to gel as a team. They placed fourth in their pool and placed 22nd overall.

In a game against another hometown team of Heebink/Cairns-McDowell for 20th, Howard/King were coming out ahead and were in the second set. An injury to King’s foot forced the duo to withdraw, and they were disappointed that they could not play out their best game so far. Although disappointed, they played with amazing heart, and their game improved immensely over the tournament. You fought hard, ladies!

Carins-McDowell and Heebink (17/18U girls) competed in Pool F, and were off to another slow start because of nerves and getting used to the courts. They placed fourth in their pool and placed 20th overall.

Following the game against Howard/King for 20th, Carins-McDowell/Heebink went on to play for 19th position but dropped to the opposing team. However, they both agreed that it was their best game overall, and were happy with their final performance. Most of all, they had fun and enjoyed the experience and hope to be back next year. In the end, they played with confidence and kept the experience positive. They both did amazing and were such great team players.

Tuton and Kremer competed in Women’s 1 Star competition as part of the B.C. Provincials and Vancouver Open. The first game in Pool A, one set to 25, the duo came out very strong and kept up the momentum, just dropping the game 23-25. They played another two games in their pool, dropping those to opponents and placing fourth in their pool.

The girls were disappointed with their performance and feltthey could have played better. I explained to them these athletes often play at university or college level in the U.S. or have had years of beach; they did amazing against the competition they had. I asked if they would come back and they both answered yes. Can’t wait to see them on the court next year – look out!

Final placement in the tournament can be found on the following link:

Women’s 1 Star results: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTWj3awAJr1D1svTgclQRAp7wKWp0FpnbG9fToaxN3x02ebGp4FY42Gr_Wr7w64rZXN88WTEnsiDMWv/pubhtml#

Youth results: https://www.volleyballbc.org/beach-provincials/youth-beach-provincials Island Open Beach Tournament July 22

Two teams represented YXY at the Island Open Beach Tournament:

Lexi Zaidan & Eleanor Setterington – 17/18U Girls

Lily Witten & Brooke Tobler – 17/18U Girls

The one-day tournament took place in Parksville, B.C. on Vancouver Island and was situated in the beautiful beach area of Parksville Community Park. 15 teams competed in the 14 – 18U divisions. Both female teams played in the 17/18U division and were split into two pools with three in each pool. Each team played a total of four games.

Zaidan and Setterington played in the older division in their pool and came out very strong, taking the first set against a Vancouver pair. They kept the score close but lost the game. They played very well in the next few games but came up a little short. Overall, they did extremely well. I tried to put into perspective for them that these B.C. teams have been playing tournaments ever since the end of May – they played hard and again, the improvement in their game was in leaps and bounds.

Witten and Tobler started the pool play slowly but really pushed through the tournament. Into their third game, they had improved 110 per cent and were really starting to communicate with a positive outcome. They fought hard through their games and really gave it all they had. The final game was against their teammates and they had improved so much that they kept Zaidan and Setterington on their toes, taking the first set but then dropping the next two. Again, the growth I saw from game one was considerable, and they really kept a positive attitude.

Final Standings:

Zaidan/Setterington – 5th

Witten/Tobler – 6th

So proud of all these athletes– they played so well and really brought their best game. The Outside tournaments really allowed them to build their skill and confidence on the beach court and experience a larger beach volleyball competition, with play against varying competitive levels. It was such an amazing experience that they all enjoyed regardless of their placement.

I want to thank Lotteries Yukon for travel assistance under the Travel Assistance Program, Air North and Sport Yukon for offering athletes reduced rate program for travel to Outside sporting competitions, Reflex Nutrition and Supplements, Dairy Queen, and Booster Juice for prize support.

Last but not least, a huge thank you to the amazing coaching team that helped me build and operate the club: Lindy Dunlop and Karen Zaidan.

Thank you to YXY parents and athletes; you have made YXY Beach Volleyball Club’s first year such a resounding success and we appreciate all the time and effort everyone put in over the season.

We wrapped up our season with Volleyball Yukon Championships August 12 and 13 at Volleyball Yukon courts.

A year-end event is coming up Wednesday, Aug. 23.

Again, thank you to everyone – it was an awesome season; can’t wait to see everyone next year!

Yukon Champs Results:

Youth Male (16U)

1. Chris McCarron / Carlos Magsucang
2. Maze Clemente / Joe Popadynec
3. Kaelan Basnett / Cy McDowell

Youth Female (16U)

1. Denise Alfaro / Mikhaela Alfaro
2. Emily McCarron / Wylloh Dinn
3. Avery Kinsella / Emery Twardochleb

Youth Adult (17+)

1. Frank Oblak / Gyanendra Singh
2. Jerry Wu / Conlan Wilson
3. Lily Kremer / Jennifer Tuton