Peacock Out Weathers Cyclones Winning City Seniors Girls Volleyball Crown

Photos and Story by Robert Thomas

To a packed Sask Polytechnic gymnasium with a noise level louder than a jet fighter the Peacock Senior Girls Toilers are the 2022 City Senior Girls Volleyball champions after defeating the Central Cyclones.

The Toilers defeated the Cyclones winning three out of four games to win the match.

The scores were: 25 Peacock - 17 Central, 25 Peacock - 21 Central , 15 Peacock - 25 Central and 26 Peacock - 24 Central.

The Peacock team was hard pressed with Central managing to get an initial lead in all four sets but only to see the Toilers catch up in three of those games.

**City Champs** - Members of the Peacock Toilers jump for joy after winning the city championship - MJ Independent photo

**Just Off Of The Fingertips** - Central Cyclones Jovie Mohle (left) spikes the ball off of Peacock Toilers Kamryn Luiten’s fingertips - MJ Independent photo

It was a happy and a much relieved Peacock Toilers head coach Lorne Polupski whose squad had just weathered another tough and highly emotional match. In the Toilers previous outing they had defeated the Vanier Spirits who took the favourties Toilers to the wire.

“Are you kidding? It was crazy. It was a great battle it was like the other night against Vanier. As we said at the start of the year it is going to be tight throughout the whole year. And it was,” Lorne Polupski head coach of the Peacock Toilers said about the victory.

“Central could have easily won that. You know we played hard and we won the first two sets. I think we sat back and gave them the momentum. They had the momentum for the next match and won. And it was good. It was great volleyball. It was great for the city and great for everybody. I love this stuff man,” Polupski said in the post game media scrum.

**Concentration** - Central Cyclones Jillian Polupski bumps the ball backwards over top of her head - MJ Independent photo

**Tip Off** - Central Cyclones Taylor Rosenau (left) goes up to block the ball being tipped by Peacock Toilers - Kamryn Lutien - MJ Independent photo

Asked by MJ Independent if he was close to a heart attack after the game given how it could have went either way he said he was.

“I was stressed out against Vanier and almost had a heart attack. What do you think tonight was? It was like wow.”

Regarding the fact the Toilers were down at the start of all four games Polupski said it was something the Cyclones had faced all season.

“I can’t believe the amount of times this year we have been down and we have come back and won. In bog matches, semi-finals, quarter finals we have been down eight points in a couple of matches down eight or nine points and we have come back,” he said, adding “I don’t know what to say. The girls had a lot of heart and they play their guts out. That is all you can ask of them.”

**Grimacing** - Central Cyclone Eowyn Stokes tenses up as the ball hits just in front of her but fortunately bounced over her head - MJ Independent photo

**Celebrating A Point** - Peacock Toilers Allison Coulson-Baum (left) and Jessica Selensky celebrate their team making a point - MJ Independent photo

“They have done that all year. You know we have got the best girls in the world. They just work their butts off all of the time so I can’t be any prouder as a coach and some of those girls cannot be any prouder than they are tonight winning city’s.”

Asked about the amount of extra effort and digs both teams pulled off to keep rallies going he said it is par for the course.

“If you have seen girls volleyball in Moose Jaw the finals are very exciting. And if you miss them you have missed out on some great volleyball tonight,” Polupski said.

“Don’t miss out next year because you never know what is going to happen.”

So how emotional and demanding was the game? During the interview it was highly obvious Polupski had minor laryngitis because of his giving instructions and encouragement to the team.

“I lost my voice when were playing Vanier and it has been going ever since,” he said laughing.

**Out Of Bounds** - Central Cyclones Chloe Johns watches as the ball is tipped by her and out of bounds - MJ Independent photo

**Do This…** - Peacock Toilers head coach Lorne Polupski shouts instructions to his team. - MJ Independent photo

Polupski said he would not be able to coach a successful team without his two co-coaches -

“Again I could not have done this without my two coaches Krysta Caplette and Maylen Bevan. They are my co-coaches and they are amazing. It is the three of us working together.

Now that the Toilers have won the city crown they are getting ready for regionals on their way towards what they hope is a provincial 4A championship.

Regionals start on Remembrance Day and have the Toilers up against some tough competition.

“For regionals well we have Balgonie who are probably number three in the province in our pool and we have Estevan. So we have to enjoy tonight and then I’m at the books and the videos tomorrow and then come up with some strategies to take a match at this week to try and come up with some strategies to get top three,” he said.

**Central Celebrates** - Not to be outdone by their Peacock Toilers rivals the Cyclones celebrated many hard fought points they won during the match-up - MJ Independent photo

Joe Gunnis head coach of the Central Cyclones said he was proud of his team’s effort despite the loss.

“Our team left it out there. I am very very proud of those girls we worked hard all year with this team. We came up a little short but we left it all out there. We made it a game. We played hard and that is all I can ask of them. And they delivered on that,” Gunnis said.

Asked about how in the first game the Cyclones came out fired up and took the early lead and for awhile the momentum away the Toliers he attributed it to the talent the Cyclones had.

“You know we got a lot of talent on this team and as you see we made so many great plays and dug some balls we shouldn’t have got to. You know and hit the ball very hard too,” he said.

**Spiking It Again** - Central Cyclones Jovie Mohle (left) was dominant when it came to spiking the ball against the Peacock Toilers - MJ Independent photo

**Noisy Fans** - The gymnasium at Sask Polytech was packed with large contingents of fans for both teams. Here the Peacock Toilers fans flash signs of encouragement - MJ Independent photo

“Take nothing away from the team we played, they played very, very well and earned it. But we put everything we had into it and we got the balls. We practiced and they just executed very well tonight and I couldn’t be any prouder of them.”

Asked about the extra effort and how the Cyclones managed to get some incredible digs and ended up winning the resultant long rallies Gunnis attributed it to the team’s skills.

“There is so much talent on this team and they believe in themselves. it is just fantastic to see. I wouldn’t and couldn’t ask for a better team.”

**Setting The Ball** - Peacock Toilers Hannah Miller sets the ball from the back row - MJ Independent photo

**Time Out Instructions** - Central Cyclones head coach Joe Gunnis gives his players encouragement and instructions during a time out - MJ Independent photo

Despite the disappointing loss in the city championship final the Cyclones are still gearing up for regionals this coming weekend and a berth into the provincial finals.

“We are looking forward to it. We have a tough showdown in Lumsden this weekend. We will be working really hard to advance to provincials. These girls deserve an opportunity to go to provincials so I know we will earn it.”

**Setter** - Peacock Toilers Makenna Simmons sets up a spike - MJ Independent photo

**Call It** - Central Cyclone Eowyn Stokes (left) makes a last minute attempt to bump the ball as Karlie Lougheed closes in thinking the same thing - MJ Independent photo

Jessica Selensky - is a Grade 12 student and has spent four years playing volleyball at Peacock Collegiate - and says winning the city championship in her final year is special.

“It feels amazing. I have never played at Sask Polytech before for finals but it is really good,” Selensky said.

She could only reply that to finish off her local playing career with a city championship felt “amazing.”{

Asked if the lower roof came into paly she replied “yeah, Peacock’s ceilings are a lot taller.”

Regarding the upcoming regionals and then hopefully provincial playoffs she said it will take more work.

“We have just got to work ten times harder,” Selensky said.