
A Kelowna volleyball team has returned home from the national stage with some hardware.
The Kelowna Volleyball Club sent a boys team made up of nine U14 players to Edmonton last weekend to compete in the 2024 Youth Nationals Expo, taking on hundreds of other teams from all over the country.
Battling out of tier seven, the Kelowna Volleyball Club got off to a terrible start, dropping all three of their games on day one before having quite the turn around through days two and three of the tournament.
“The first day was really rough," said team manager Laura Boyer.
"The second day they really rallied, shook off the losses and did not stop winning from that point on. It was really something special to watch. There were probably 500 teams over the weekend and this was a once in a lifetime opportunity for them."
The team would go on to win six straight games to capture gold, defeating the Meadow Lake Heat out of Saskatchewan in back to back sets, 25-20 and 25-15.
"Through grit, hard work, and resilience they managed to win gold," said Boyer.
According to the team manager and coach, the trip wouldn't have been possible without the help they received from the City of Kelowna.
The team was awarded a small grant, helping cover expenses including registration, travel and accommodations.
"We were awarded a grant from the City of Kelowna to help with tournament registration fees, so thanks to the City of Kelowna for their support, the boys were able to travel to Edmonton.