SHERWOOD PARK, Alta. Team Yukon got a little bit of a scare from the Northwest Territories in their round-robin volleyball match Thursday at the Western Canada Summer Games.

Team N.W.T. came out firing on all cylinders and seemed to take their northern rivals by surprise, claiming the first set 25-18.

But the Yukon regrouped, thanks to strong performances from veteran Jake Schneider and Robbie Stuckey, and went on to dominate three straight sets, 25-16, 25-16, 25-14, ensuring their first victory at Millennium Place.

'We started off pretty slow, and bad to be honest, but then we picked it up,' said Stuckey. 'We just got our heads in the game.'

'The younger guys started talking more,' added Schneider. 'The team's really coming together now.'

The squad opened the Games with straight-set losses to Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, but they were realistic about their chances heading down to Edmonton.

Most of the players on Team Yukon have limited experience at Outside tournaments five of them are just 15 years old while the majority of their opponents are 17.

The height difference can also be a major factor, with powerhouses like Alberta and British Columbia boasting starting lineups averaging well over six feet.

'It's just a different game, from high school to this,' stated Schneider. 'You've gotta be at the top of your game.'

Against Manitoba and Alberta, Team Yukon was just aiming to get as many points as they could, said Stuckey. Against Saskatchewan, they were hoping for 20 points in a set, and made it to 18.

'We came close, so that was good,' said Schneider.

While there were no real team practices until nine days before they left Whitehorse, Schneider said the training was intense once it got underway.

They were together for at least two hours per day, ever day. Neither he or Stuckey believed the limited practice time had much of an affect on their first few contests this week.

'We're pretty close as a team now, having spent so much time together,' said Stuckey.

'We've come together really well, pretty fast,' agreed Schneider.

Team Yukon's female squad was in a similar position. These Games represent the first time they've competed together as a team all year.

They have no 17 year olds on their roster, two of them are 15 and one of them is just 14 years old.

'We knew coming here we weren't going to win any games,' said Chantelle Bergeron.

'We just want to learn a lot and play as hard as we can,' added Ashley Reynolds. 'We're just trying to stay positive.'

Staying positive has proved to be important, as the Yukoners dropped their opening three matches in straight sets to Alberta, British Columbia and Manitoba. Their highest point total in a set so far was 10 against B.C.

On Thursday against Manitoba, they fell 25-3, 25-4, 25-4.

'This has been quite the experience for the girls,' said head coach Jordan Borgford. 'They're outmatched as far as talent, and certainly in part, size is a big factor.'

Bergeron, who stands about 5'2, admitted it's been tough but also said she wants to prove to everyone that she can play good volleyball despite her size.

Reynolds spoke about an opponent who reached right over the net, swung down and stopped her from making the hit.

'They're huge. They're just awesome players.'

Still, Borgford feels his team has enjoyed some success so far, in regards to winning a few rallies, making a few blocks and making a lot of touches. All of their opponents are hard-hitting, added Borgford, so it's a challenge for Team Yukon just to keep the ball alive.

For the most part, said the coach, his players have remained positive and excited despite the lopsided scores.

'We played two games (Wednesday) and a couple of the girls made the comment, they were excited about the challenge ... knowing how hard it was going to be and really just looking forward to raising their game.'

Against Manitoba, Borgford said Team Yukon had a little bit of a flat spot in the second set, where their frustration showed. But they brought it back in the third set, he added, and played much better.

Coming into the Games, the team had set a goal of seven points per set three off the attack, one off a serve, one off a block and maybe a couple of unforced errors. While they haven't achieved that goal, they did reach 10 points.

Now, they'll regroup and hope to come out strong against Saskatchewan in their final matchup Friday.

With just five teams on the female side of volleyball the Northwest Territories and Nunavut didn't enter one the Yukon won't get any playoff games.

'We need to come together more as a team and just talk,' said Bergeron.

'We need to smile more, get our energy up,' added Reynolds.

There will be a final round-robin game for the boys' team against British Columbia Friday morning, followed by a rematch against the N.W.T. in the fifth-place playoff.

Both Schneider and Stuckey expected their northern counterparts would be hungry for revenge.

'They won a set (against Team Yukon), but they haven't won a game yet, so they'll come out strong,' said Schneider.

'So we'll just have to come out even harder,' Stuckey interjected.

Schneider said the team will use their morning match against B.C. to get on top of their game, then just take it from there and give their best effort against the N.W.T. to close out the Games in fifth place.