Central Alberta Kings Volleyball won gold at the U17 Volleyball Canada Youth National Championships.
"Everybody was very excited. This is something we've been trying to accomplish and working towards for the past three years. There was a lot of emotion, smiles and tears. It was super cool to see the boys' reactions afterwards," said head coach Cody Domoney.
"We've competed at the top level of Alberta volleyball for three years. We have two provincial championships and a provincial silver medal. We had a third place finish at nationals in 2023 and a fourth place finish last year. Finally winning at nationals this year was icing on the cake."
Domoney said the players had a high sense of "professionalism" as they entered nationals, which was played at the Edmonton EXPO Centre from Thursday, May 15 to Saturday, May 17.
"They just took care of business on our side of the court. They were level headed and supportive of each other, which is pretty much everything you can ask for as a coach," he said.
"It sounds cliché, but I feel like the luckiest coach ever. I have 12 athletes who completely bought into our team and philosophy. They were super supportive of each other."
Domoney said this was the first time in 25 years that a Red Deer-based team was victorious at this national competition.
Three Kings players were recognized for their play at the tournament. Jordan Kuipers and Hudson Penz were named all-stars, and Tyson DeZutter was named tournament MVP.
"Tyson, all tournament and all season, has been a huge presence on the court. He's our captain and does a great job leading. He handles pressure well and was able to get some pretty big points in some big moments. He got a kill on the championship point, which was really cool to see," said Domoney.
"Hudson is our setter, so he's leading our offence the entire match — he did an awesome job getting the ball to the right people at the right time to help our team be successful. Jordan has been dominant in the middle all season — he was matched up against the top middle out of Ontario (in the final) and he did a great job. He had a couple huge kills during the game."
Domoney also praised his assistant coaches Kirsten DeZutter and Adam Sillery, as well as the players' parents.
"I don't think a national championship happens without everyone involved. I'm very grateful and thankful for the boys."
The Kings roster included: Tyson DeZutter, Hudson Penz, Jordan Kuipers, Daniel Kuipers, Asher Doef, Jorryn McKenzie, Nathan Hemstreet, Jamison Kelly, Blake Hughes, Luke Dykstra, Trent Deschenes and Wil Fidek.
For more information on the Central Alberta Kings Volleyball Club, visit www.kingsvolleyballclub.com.
