On what could be a snowy or frosty Coldstream evening on the final day of November, Seth Hermanson has a vision for that night.
One of three captains of the Kalamalka Lakers senior boys volleyball team, Hermanson can see the B.C. High School Senior Boys AA Volleyball championship banner being handed to him and co-captains Micah Snobelen and Jake Rinn before a raucous, capacity crowd in the school gym.
The Lakers are hosting the provincial championships Nov. 27-30.
"I can definitely see us winning at home but it's going to take some hard word," said Hermanson prior to a Lakers practice in the school gym, empty of fans on this particular evening. "I think we have a good chance. Our team is pretty tight emotionally. We've all played together for years, and everybody knows each other's strengths and weaknesses."
Hermanson and the Lakers finished in the top-10 at last year's B.C. finals in Langley.
There is, of course, still a lot of volleyball to be played prior to the provincials.
Kal is currently ranked 10th in the AA standings, the top-ranked Okanagan school. They will be in the tournament no matter what. The Lakers will either be the host or the Okanagan AA champions. Whether the Okanagan gets more than one berth to the 16-team field remains to be seen.
"No, we don't want to back in, 100 per cent not," said Lakers coach Meghan Snobelen, in her fourth year on the bench with this group, starting at the junior level in Grade 9. "We are excited to be playing in the provincials at home. It's quite the honour for the team, and being from a small town."
The team has placed fifth out of 32 teams at a tournament in Abbotsford at the University of the Fraser Valley, and ninth out of 20 teams at the Thompson Rivers University high school boys event in Kamloops.
There is also league play, followed by the North Zone championships, and then the Okanagan Valley finals, slated for Kamloops.
Snobelen is joined on the Kal bench by co-coaches Jaide Vanderleest, Patrick Rinn, and her husband, Simon Snobelen, who doubles as the team's play-by-play man for video.
What she likes about her squad, said Snobelen the head coach, is their enthusiasm and work ethic.
"They're a great group that brings a lot to practices and to games," she said. "We have to keep showing up when we play, and continue playing at a high level. We know all of the other teams are working just as hard to come here next month."
The Lakers carry 13 players, mostly senior Grade 12 athletes, along with a lot of depth.
"We've got guys that have played together at school or club for a long time," said Simon Snobelen. "We have a very strong attack from our middle, outside, and power hitters. We have two strong liberos, and a great young setter in Ayers Cull, a Grade 11 player. And we have height. We have five kids 6-foot-3 and taller. There is great depth on this team."
Provincial championship games will be played throughout the four days at Kal Secondary, while early round, championship, and consolation round games will also be played at Vernon and Clarence Fulton secondary schools.
The tournament co-directors are former Kal Lakers senior girls coach Maria Hansen, and Kal Secondary athletic director Jessie Bourgeois. They are looking for tournament sponsors and/or donations of items for prize baskets.
If you can help out, contact the pair by email at mhansen@sd22.bc.ca or jbourgeois@sd22.bc.ca.
The Langley Christian Lightning, who won bronze on their home court in 2023, are currently ranked No. 1. Rounding out the top-10 are:
2 - Pacific Academy Breakers (Surrey);
3 - Lambrick Park Lions (Victoria);
4 - Surrey Christian Falcons (Surrey);
5 - MEI Eagles (Clearbrook);
6 - Mark R. Isfeld Ice (Courtenay);
7 - D.P. Todd Trojans (Prince George);
8 - Duchess Park Condors (Prince George);
9 - Abbotsford Christian Knights (Abbotsford);
10 - Kalamalka Lakers (Coldstream).
