SHERWOOD PARK, Alta. The Yukon boys' volleyball team was expecting an intense rematch Friday night at the Western Canada Summer Games.

They were prepared to battle tooth and nail for every point, in order to win the playoff for fifth place against the rival Northwest Territories.

Instead, it turned into a bit of a rout, as Team Yukon took the match in straight sets, 25-12, 25-15, 25-13. The beginning of the second set was really the only time the game looked like it might take a turn in the opposition's favour, but the Yukon dug down and went on to win in convincing fashion.

'This was a team we knew we could beat,' said Duncan Smith, one of few 17 year olds on the squad. 'The younger kids weren't as scared of (the N.W.T.) after playing teams like Alberta and Manitoba.'

'This is a pretty big deal for us. We really wanted to beat these guys,' added Derrik Anderson, 15.

Team Yukon had previously beat the N.W.T. in four sets Thursday, during round-robin action. They lost the first set but rebounded to win the next three.

Anderson said it was the confidence from that match that helped them in their final round-robin contest against Team British Columbia Friday morning.

While they lost to B.C. the eventual silver medal winners at the Games the Yukoners managed to grab 15 and 16 points in the second and third sets respectively.

'It was their B line at the end, but it was still impressive for us,' said Smith. 'I think it helped a lot in getting us set for the N.W.T. (Friday).'

Both Smith and Anderson were playing at their first Western Canada Games, although Smith had played at a national championship previously. Smith said it was a good experience in Sherwood Park, especially watching his younger teammates improve throughout the week.

'I think we did pretty good,' agreed Anderson. 'We just did our best against the provinces. They were hard to beat. My goal was basically to try and beat one of (the provinces), but we managed to score some points against them.'

Anderson said he was particularly impressed with the play of teammates Jake Schneider and Afshin Amirtabar.

'Afshin, he couldn't play defence very well at the beginning, but he improved a lot. He stands up and takes the hit.

'Jake, he gets the whole game going. He gets the team pumped up and plays awesome.'

Anderson said he was proud of the entire team's spirit throughout the competition.

'We wanted to come out here and show everyone what we could do.'

The Yukon girls' volleyball team also displayed some impressive spirit at the Games. During their final round-robin match on Friday, the girls got a victory in their own sense, scoring 16 points against Saskatchewan in the second set of a three-set loss.

It was a marked improvement from their contests earlier in the week.

'The girls moved a lot better and made smarter plays with the ball,' said head coach Jordan Borgford. 'You can really see the improvement in their game now.'

Overall, said Borgford, passing was the strongest part of his team's game, although he pointed out they dug some really tough balls against powerhouses like Manitoba and British Columbia.

'We exceeded our expectations really. The girls stayed positive right through the whole experience.

'This was an opportunity for them to see what high level competition is, to learn new things. Hopefully, through this they will be inspired to train harder and make a bigger commitment to volleyball.'

Borgford said women's volleyball has really 'exploded' over the last few years, as evidenced by some of the talent and action displayed at the Games.

'They've been really fun games to watch. This is an elite tournament. The athletes are in phenomenal shape. They're very good at what they do. There's a reason they're here.

'It's been a great experience. I've loved every minute of it.'

Here are the boys' and girls' volleyball scores for Team Yukon at the 2007 Western Canada Summer Games:

Boys

Round-robin

Vs. Alberta 12-25, 13-25, 10-25

Vs. Saskatchewan 15-25, 18-25,

7-25

Vs. Manitoba 9-25, 13-25, 12-25

Vs. N.W.T. 18-25, 25-16, 25-14, 25-14

Vs. British Columbia 11-25, 15-25, 16-25

Playoffs

Vs. N.W.T. 25-12, 25-15, 25-13

Girls

Round-robin

Vs. Alberta 10-25, 5-25, 7-25

Vs. British Columbia 7-25, 6-25, 10-25

Vs. Manitoba 3-25, 4-25, 4-25

Vs. Saskatchewan 10-25, 16-25,

10-25

It was Manitoba taking the gold in boys' volleyball while British Columbia grabbed silver and Alberta claimed bronze.

British Columbia picked up gold in girls' volleyball while Manitoba settled for silver and Alberta once again ended up with bronze.