Three players from the West Shore helped the Vancouver Island-Central Coast girls volleyball team capture the gold medal at the B.C. Summer Games.
Langford residents Taylee Pompanio and Gracie May, along with Colwood resident Jocelyn Sherman, joined Hannah Stonnell, Abby Willett and Emma Letkeman from Greater Victoria as part of a team that defeated Fraser River in the finals.
After surviving the first set 25-22, the team overcame a 15-9 deficit in the decisive second set to triumph 25-23 to win the tournament, which took place in Abbottsford from July 21 to 24.
The Zone 6 team earned a spot in the finals by defeating Fraser Valley 25-21 and 25-22 in the semi-final.
Head coach Jordan Church said one of the biggest challenges in preparing for the Games with a team of girls from across the Island is the limitation of a one-month window for practice.
“Developing cohesion is a very big part of it,” said Church, an assistant coach with Vancouver Island University’s women’s volleyball team for the past two years. “A huge advantage for us was how they worked so well together and got so close in a short time,” he said. “They came together as a group, bought into team goals and came through numerous times in the clutch.”
Pompiano and May were part of Belmont’s junior volleyball championship team this year, while Sherman will attend Belmont in September.
reporter@goldstreamgazette.com