The senior girls volleyball team at Point Grey has the tallest two setters in Vancouver.
Saya Engleson is five-foot-eight, like several others around the city, and at five-foot-eleven, Taeya Page even towers over some of the tallest players on other teams.
The Grey Hounds run a 6-2 offence, meaning either Engleson or Page will set from the back row, and both athletes come to the role from their posts as power hitters, a position that demands explosive strength and precision — and often rewards height.
On last year’s roster, setter Megan Chan was the only Grade 12 player and the Grey Hounds finished eighth overall at the B.C. AAA championships. But when Chan graduated, she left a gap on the court that had to be filled.
Engleson and Page adapted.
“Setters pretty much control the flow of the game so it was a big change for me when I started to set,” Engleson said in an email to the Courier. “Setting has changed my whole perspective of the game. There's a lot more to think about on the court, so I have a whole new respect for the position.”
“I actually really enjoy setting because I love running the offence and how it brings my mind into the game a little bit more,” added Page, a Grade 11 starter who captained Team B.C. this summer as well as the regional team that won gold at the 2012 B.C. Summer Games.
The adjustment, orchestrated by head coach Zack Mason, has so far brought rewards.
The eventual city champions didn’t drop a set through regular season league action and finally appeared on provincial rankings in mid-October at No. 6. Four weeks later, they’d held their ground.
At Lower Mainlands, Point Grey maintained its high-percentage record and went undefeated in six matches, conceding one set to Crofton House in the final. Its goal at AAA provincials next week in Delta is a top-five finish, said Page.
“I felt really satisfied with our win [at Lower Mainlands] and how we finally reached our potential,” she said. “We seem to be peaking as a team at the right time.”
The team is bolstered by Grade 12 attackers like Ali L’Heureux and Carolin Hicks, another provincial team player albeit a year older than Page.
Hicks played “exceptionally well” during the Lower Mainlands, said Mason. Needing just one point to eliminate No. 9 Crofton House in the final, Hicks “had the guts to take a huge swing and put away a ball […] to win the match for us.”
A six-foot-one left hitter, Hicks said the Hounds proved themselves and defied expectations.
“We went in to the tournament as underdogs, but managed to work our way up to a first place finish. As a team we have learned that we play our best when the results do not matter. So our goal for provincials is to play the best game we possibly can,” she said.
On a team primarily composed of seniors, the Grey Hounds are hitting a season high at the right time, said Hicks. “Our strongest competitors will be the teams that are ready to leave it all on the court. We need to focus on our game and use these next two weeks to work out the kinks in our play. We are a very cohesive group on and off the court, which has greatly contributed to our success throughout the season.”
Added Engleson: “Now that we've made it to the provincials, our goal is to continue our strong play and finish the season on a high note.”
It’s within their reach.
The AAA B.C. Championships run Nov. 28 to 30 at Seaquam secondary.
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