It was payback time for the Langley Christian Lightning.
Last year, the Lightning lost in the Grade 8 boys district championship game to the Walnut Grove Gators.
And with those players now in Grade 9 and at the junior level, the two schools met in the district title game on Nov. 8 at the Langley Events Centre.
But this time, it was the Lightning striking for a 3-1 victory.
Langley Christian won a pair of close sets, 25-22 and 25-23 before the Gators stayed alive with a 25-8 win set three. But set four went to Langley Christian 25-18.
“It was pretty big to beat them,” said Jeff Bontkes, who coaches the team along with Eric Van Huizen. 
The Lightning were the top seed heading into the playoffs, having dropped just one match, a five-setter to the Langley Fundamental Titans in early October.
Walnut Grove was the third seed but they upset the Titans in the semifinals to set up the showdown with the Lightning.
Langley Christian had beat Brookswood in the other semifinal.
And in the championship game, the Lightning were able to effectively play their game.
“Our key is our passing,” Bontkes said.
“We were able to pass the ball and run our attack.”
Another positive for the team was their blocking and the fact that every player was hitting the floor to dig up the Gators’ attack.
Winning districts is always a big thing for Langley Christian, especially because they have such a smaller enrollment than many of the other local high schools, Bontkes said.
Both Langley Christian and Walnut Grove advance to the Fraser Valley championships, which run Nov. 15 to 17 at Earl Marriott.
In the third place game, Langley Fundamental defeated Brookswood.