THUNDER BAY – The St. Ignatius Falcons had only dropped a single set all season long, heading into Monday’s senior boys’ high school volleyball final.
They picked an inopportune time to drop Nos. 2, 3 and 4.
The Hammarskjold Vikings, the No. 2 seed when the Superior Secondary Schools Athletic Association playoffs opened earlier this month, made an early statement in the opening set, despite giving up a late 25-24 lead to the St. Ignatius Falcons.
The Vikings battled back and hung on to win the set 30-28. They trailed most of the way in the second, but rallied behind the steady serving of Mason Flye, who led a 7-0 run that saw Hammarskjold fight back from a 15-8 deficit and take a commanding two-set lead with a 25-22 win in the second.
Hammarskjold jumped out to a 9-4 led in the third set, only to lose the lead when the Falcons edged in front 16-15.
But it wasn’t meant to be for the Falcons.
Up 17-16, Flye took over the serve, punched up three more points to extend the Hammarskjold advantage to four, then completed the championship-match sweep, winning the final game 25-19.
It was determination, said the Vikings Jake House.
“Our team, this whole season, the first couple of games against Ignatius we lost, so we knew we had to win this one and we came in big today,” House said.
“I think it was just the drive of it all. This team is so consistent with coming back every time and time and time again. It was just a great win. It’s an amazing feeling.”
Hammarskjold coach Emma Korolenko said her players simply couldn’t be intimidated by past performance, the regular season standings, or entering the match as underdogs – despite being the defending senior boys’ volleyball champions.
The first set was the catalyst, she said.
“These boys have worked really hard all season to prove to themselves that they can win city championship. St. Ignatius was a great opponent, but I think my kids just came out with the drive and the hustle they were looking for to be able to take it home for back-to-back seasons,” said Korolenko, who will lead her team into the NWOSSAA Final on the road this weekend against Kenora’s Beaver Brae Broncos.
The Falcons, who finished the regular season with a perfect 10-0-0 record, two more wins than Hammarskjold managed, struggled to put meaningful runs together when it mattered most, particularly in the third game.
After taking an early 3-1 lead, they trailed the rest of the way for all but one point after climbing back from a 9-4 deficit to tie the game 11-11. They tied the game up four times before jumping in front 16-15, but made too many unforced errors down the stretch and settled for silver.
La Verendrye swept Westgate in three straight to win the junior boys crown.
