The Vanier Catholic Secondary School Senior volleyball teams blocked, served and spiked their way to gold medals at the 2011 Yukon Volleyball Championships on Saturday at the Canada Games Centre.

The Vanier senior girls took on the Porter Creek Rams in the finals. With a large crowd on hand, Vanier defeated the Rams 3-1.

"It was a great way to finish a really successful season,” Vanier head coach Kelly Bukowski said.

"The girls stayed motivated and competed every game. It would have been disappointing to lose the Yukon Championship so it's great that they powered through and got the win.”

Jordan Borgford, head coach for Porter Creek, called the match entertaining.

"We played very hard and I think we earned our medal today. Not everyone is happy with the silver medal but they played hard. Volleyball is just a game of runs, sometimes you're on the good end and sometimes you're on the bad end,” Borgford said.

As the teams battled back and forth in the opening set, an ace by Vanier's Erica New pushed their lead to 22-17. But Porter Creek responded by reeling off three straight points and narrowing the gap to 23-20.

The Crusaders regained control after calling a timeout that helped them close out the first set 25-20.

The Rams took control in the second set after jumping out to an 8-2 lead, and carried that early momentum to a 25-6 win.

Both teams looked more energetic in the third set; the players became more vocal and improved communication and focus led to longer rallies and more balanced scoring.

With Vanier leading 7-4, an ace by Kelsey Smeeton, tournament MVP, and a big block at the net by Robyn Forture sparked a run for the Crusaders that increased their lead to five points, 11-6.

A determined Rams team then forced a momentum swing but it wasn't long before the Crusaders answered back, fuelled by another ace by New. With Vanier leading, a kill by Meghan Young sealed the win for the Crusaders, 25-16.

In the fourth set the intensity reached a climax as the girls rallied and exchanged leads.

With the score tied at 18 a kill by Porter Creek's Kiana Palamar pushed the Rams into the lead but it didn't last long as the teams continued to exchange points.

After breaking another tie, Porter Creek was positioned to win the game but a return that just narrowly missed being inbounds allowed the Crusaders back into the game and they eventually got the win, 26-24.

"All season we've been coming from behind,” said Borgford. "We haven't been able to get on a real good roll, but we had some good sets against Vanier.”

Bukowski credited composure as a factor in Vanier's win.

"All the girls on the team are very mature, at one point we were down but I don't have to worry and the girls don't worry when they are in that type of situation,” said Bukowski.

"Our leaders are very mature and responsible and it's almost like having little mini-coaches out there.”

On the boy's side, Vanier entered the gold medal game having gone undefeated in the season and carried that momentum into the match, defeating the Porter Creek Rams in three sets, 25-24, 25-21 and 25-19.

Vanier head coach Russ Tait attributed the teams' success to dedication to the

sport and great team chemistry developed over years of playing together.

"These fellows have been playing together since grade eight, some of them since grade six,” said Tait.

"It's rewarding to see them do so well, but it chokes you up a bit because it's the end of a long run.”

Porter Creek knew the pressure was on the Crusaders to get the win and viewed that as an opportunity to enter the game relaxed.

"Vanier hadn't lost all year so there was a lot of pressure on their shoulders,” said Mike Kelly, Porter Creek head coach.

"We were really trying to play within our abilities because Vanier is such a good team. We just wanted to make sure on our side of the court we were trying to minimize our mistakes and force them into playing our style of game.”

The match was highlighted by exciting aerial play with several crucial moments being decided at the net.

With the Crusaders leading in the first set 20-12, an ace by Albert Spycher sparked a run for Vanier to close out the set, 25-14.

Porter Creek responded by getting out to an early lead in the second set but strong defensive play for Vanier allowed the Crusaders to take control.

With the Crusaders' Mason Gray and Mike Hunter playing aggressively at the net and exchanging kills, Vanier took control to win the second set, 25-21.

"We had good energy and we kept it steady throughout the game,” said Gray, who was also named tournament MVP on the men's side. "Getting this win is a big accomplishment for us.”

The scoring remained close in the final set as Porter Creek got out to an early 13-10 lead, but after another kill from Hunter, Vanier carried the momentum to a three point run before winning the set 25-19.

"I'm really proud of their accomplishments,” said Tait. "They are just a real great bunch of kids and they work hard.

"When it gets stressful, they don't get down on each other and they always support one another. Just an awesome bunch of kids to represent our school or the Yukon.”

Tait also extended his gratitude to the parents.

"With all the trips we go on, which all cost money, the parents have to buy into the whole plan so I really want to thank them for being that committed to the program.”