Riverside’s senior boys’ volleyball team has fought hard for a spot in Fraser Valleys this year, and will have one last chance to qualify with a wildcard play-in game on November 14.

The team consists of boys in grade eleven and twelve. They finished league play with a record of three wins and two losses. Some standout performances this season included wins against Heritage Woods, Maple Ridge and Charles Best. This record placed them in second place going into districts.

The top three teams from Districts automatically qualify for the Fraser Valley Championships. However, the team wasn’t able to pull through in their recent games. In the district semifinals, the boys lost a heartbreaking five-set match to Heritage Woods. They then lost the third place match to Charles Best.

After the narrow defeat to Charles Best in their second meeting against them, the team will be practicing hard and preparing for their final chance to qualify for Fraser Valleys.

“We’ve kind of played to our maximum, but we only had ten kids who tried out for the team; so we were limited as to what we could do,” said head coach Mr. Carlo Muro. “We had two or three key players that played last year that decided not to play this year and that made a big difference to our overall athletic ability, but the kids worked hard and we did as well as we can.”

Muro said that two of his key players this year are Kelvin Dong, a power hitter who is probably the best hitter on the team and one of the best passers and blockers, and captain Zach Amaral, a setter that changed his position from being a libero. Amaral has done a really good job at adapting to his new role and is one of the best defensive players and setters on the team.

The boys have worked very hard all season long and have had a great season. All of their hard work comes down to one game as they fight to qualify for the Fraser Valley Championships. Good luck to the team, and coach Muro!!