The secret to their success?
Togetherness.
That is how coach Lisa Bontkes explains the success of her Langley Christian Lightning junior girls volleyball team.
“They play without fear, they support each other no matter what,” Bontkes said.
“They are just an amazing group of girls, a very tight group.”
The Lightning defeated the Langley Fundamental Titans 3-0 in the district championship final at the Langley Events Centre last week (Nov. 6).
Langley Christian won by scores of 25-11, 25-17 and 25-9 and they are off to the Fraser Valley championships. The tournament runs Nov. 15, 17 and 18 at Surrey’s Pacific Academy.
Winning districts comes as little surprise to Bontkes, largely because the players — and coach — are so familiar with one another.
She has coached the majority of the team at the club and high school level since they were in Grade 5.
“They have played with each other since they were (younger) so there is a bond more than volleyball,” Bontkes explained.
“They trust each other.”
It has been a stellar season for the team which has lost just one game all season — at the Christian schools’ tournament against Abbotsford’s MEI Eagles.
That loss may need an asterisk however, as the Lightning were without their captain, setter Olivia Heinen.
“Our goal is to come out (of Fraser Valleys) No. 1,” Bontkes said, adding they have played and beaten a lot of the province’s top teams.
The Langley Christian team consists of Emma Hansen, Jayden Bontkes, Morgan Hindy, Corina Beimers, Savanna Leger, Olivia Heinen, Leah Roersma, Katelyn Mallette, Hannah Krepp and Liesl Van Wyk.
In the third-place game, Walnut Grove beat Credo Christian.