Two Yukon men's volleyball teams recently returned from the Ogopogo Classic tournament in Kelowna.

The Porter Creek Rams and F.H. Collins Warriors represented the territory against 10 other high schools from the B.C. mainland. Originally, 24-30 teams were slated to take part in the tournament, but the current teachers strike in the province kept a lot of teams from attending.

'Because of the strike, a lot of the weaker teams dropped out, so it was actually way better,' said Rams coach Sukh Sandhu in an interview this morning.

The Rams finished sixth in the tournament, thanks mainly to a strong showing in the round-robin portion, while the Warriors were 12th.

'It was awesome,' said Sandhu of the team's performance. 'We went pretty hard in the round-robin, so we'd have an easier time in the playoffs. So the guys were pretty stiff and flat (in the opening game of the playoffs). We could have beat (Kelowna Secondary School), but we were just flat.'

The Rams were in a power pool, with Quesnel, Rutland and Mt. Sentinel from the Kootenays. They beat all three teams in straight sets, which is quite an accomplishment considering Quesnel and Mt. Sentinel are rated number seven and number 10 in BC, respectively.

After their quarter-final loss to Kelowna, they beat College Heights, from Prince George, in straight sets. That took them to the fifth place match against Mt. Sentinel, which went to three sets. Sandhu said the entire gym watched the match, and while the Rams lost in the final set, the players put in a great effort and turned a lot of heads.

'(Some of the teams) had seen us before, we beat Kelowna's rep team in a club match at the midget championships. So they knew we were going to be good.'

Still, Sandhu admitted a lot of people seemed taken aback by the talent level of the Yukoners, including the coach's friends and family members.

Sandu grew up in the Kelowna area and attended the University of British Columbia Okanagan then called the University College of the Okanagan where the Ogopogo Classic was held.

'My friends and family got to see them play and they were all blown away.

'I know (Kelowna) is a hotbed for volleyball, so I wanted to go back there and show the guys that.'

Kaleb Dawe and Matt Taylor picked up all star awards at the tournament, proving the Yukon talent stacked up against everyone else. Sandhu, whose former friend and teammate coaches at UBC Okanagan, said he was approached about Dawe and Taylor possibly playing at the college when they graduate, as well as a couple of other players.

'They're doing awesome. Kaleb could play college right now, the level he's at. Same with Matt.

'I think (the coaches at UBC Okanagan) are pretty happy I work here now, because they know me and they can hopefully get more people from here playing down there.'

This year is the first time the college has boasted Yukoners on its volleyball rosters, as both Naomi Gladish and Ben Chief have suited up for the Lakers.

Gladish was actually one of the referees for the Rams final playoff match, though Sandhu joked she made some 'questionable calls' which turned the momentum in Mt. Sentinel's favour.

'I could not believe that we got all the way there and someone from P.C. gave us the shaft,' he laughed.

A former Vanier student, Chief is a power hitter for the men's team and Sandhu said he played really well when the Rams had a chance to watch him in scrimmage games with UBC-Vancouver and the University of Hawaii.

Hawaii and UBC-Van played an exhibition match on the last night, said the coach, and the kids loved it. They were amazed at the offensive and defensive skill of university calibre players. Hawaii beat UBC three sets to one.

'Our guys were pretty pumped watching those behemoths.'

Meanwhile, Yukoners Mitchell Anderson, Andrew Craigen and Scott Price were also in action over the weekend.

Anderson's Thompson Rivers University team played an exhibition match against Grant MacEwan Community College, where Craigen and Price play.

Grant MacEwan won the match handily, but Anderson had seven kills in one game, showing his potential to be a star in the CIS.

Craigen and Price's Griffins were seventh at college nationals last year and are looking to move up this time around. Both Yukoners are expected to play a large role on the team.

Back in the territory, the Rams will have just a couple days off before Super Volley starts this weekend. The three high schools will each play each other once, with games scheduled Friday and Saturday evening.