Mt. Douglas' two graduating seniors Becca Pettigrew (left) and Lucy Millam share a moment with Rams' coach Derek Horton after winning the B.C. Triple A title on Saturday. It was coronation day three years in the making. (Photo property of Mt. Douglas athletics 2021. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Girls Volleyball

After three years of climbing the mountain, Mt. Douglas Rams top Seaton Sonics to reach the peak at B.C. Triple-A senior girls volleyball champs!

OK, so this championship title thing isn’t easy?

Four seasons ago, after an unexpected upset loss in its junior zone championship tournament, Mt. Douglas Rams girls volleyball coach Derek Horton remembers taking his heartbroken team aside and telling them that their time would come.

“I don’t consider myself a big speech guy, but I just said to the girls that day ‘You have to remember this feeling because you don’t want to have it again,’” began Horton.

“I told them all that we would be back, and we would climb that mountain, and here we are three years later, and my two Grade 9’s from that team — Lucy Millam and Becca Pettigrew — have grown into champions.”

That’s just what all three were thinking about, in between all of the pandemonium which accompanied Mt. Douglas’ 3-2 victory over Vernon’s W.L. Seaton Sonics in the championship final of the B.C. senior girls Triple A championships which wrapped up Saturday at Vancouver’s Crofton House School.

Millam, the talented left-side being courted by universities across the province, was selected the tournament MVP, while middle blocker Pettigrew was honoured by her team with its Clutch Serving award following the title win over Seaton, a match in which momentum was the toughest thing to hold on to.

Victoria’s Mt. Douglas Rams celebrate the spoils of a B.C. senior girls AAA title Saturday at Vancouver’s Crofton House School. Back row (left to right) Jim Smyth (coach), Mira Vance, Becca Pettigrew, Olivia Peterson, Lucy Millam, Jordyn Smyth, Melana Cosentino, Derek Horton (coach). Front row (left to right) Sarah Liu, Kally Hart, Kate Melanson, Giada Valentini. Missing-Sam Owen (coach). (Photo property of Mt. Douglas athletics 2021. All Rights Reserved)

“Seaton gave us everything we could handle,” said Horton. “We had a pretty significant lead in the first set and lost. They led in the second and we came back. It was a case of whomever gets the lead, they just couldn’t hold it. But both teams competed defensively.”

And so in true back-and-forth championship-match fashion, Mt. Douglas managed to come through with its first B.C. title since 2002, the same school year in which Horton was a high school senior and a player himself over at crosstown Claremont Secondary.

Coming off the challenges all teams faced during the cancelled 2020 season was no less impactful at Mt. Douglas.

“It was a complete re-build with this team,” Mt. Douglas co-coach Jim Smyth said. “Most of the players had new positions to learn and they worked very hard to beat some amazing competition all season. We worked through multiple injuries which left us with a very small bench. But when we played our best, nobody could beat us.”

And having the right mental approach was just as essential, and that was something which filled fellow co-coach Sam Owen with pride as she helped her players reach their full potential over the re-start campaign.

“What an amazing group of young ladies,” she explained. “It was awesome to watch their development and growth throughout the season, and then see that translate into finishing their season as B.C. champs.”

Yet the memory of being upset along a title run that never even got a chance to start four years ago served as a reminder to both Millam and Pettigrew as to the all of the special ingredients which are needed in order to finish at the top of that mountain.

“Winning B.C. high school provincials is honestly a dream come true,” said Millam. “I always asked myself ‘What if we win?’ and ‘Can we do this?’ And now I can finally answer myself by saying ‘Yes’… and then I even received MVP of the province.”

Added Pettigrew: “In Grade 9, no one would have expected us to become a team that would win B.C. championships. But our players, coaches, and parents have put in so much work to get us to this point. It felt so good to our senior seasons on such a high point.”

Mt. Douglas coach Derek Horton told Becca Pettigrew (left) and Lucy Millam four years ago, after a devastating loss as Grade 9s, that hard work would get them to the top of the mountain. On Saturday, the two seniors reached that peak together. (Photo property of Mt. Douglas athletics 2021. All Rights Reserved)

This championship thing certainly isn’t easy.

But remembering the feeling of four years ago was a huge boost to the fortunes of Mt. Douglas senior girls volleyball this past Saturday night.

“In Grade 9 we suffered a tough loss, but over the four years we learned, played hard and never gave up,” said Millam. “It’s never a one-person game and every team member, even alumni, had a part to play in this amazing win and we couldn’t have done it without our amazing coaches, support, and our fans from far and wide.”

Mt. Douglas setter Giada Valentini as well as outside hitter Olivia Peterson were each honoured as first team all-stars, while outside hitter Kally Hart was named to the second all-star team.

If you’re reading this story or viewing these photos on any website other than one belonging to a university athletic department, it has been taken without appropriate permission. In these challenging times, true journalism will survive only through your dedicated support and loyalty. VarsityLetters.ca and all of its exclusive content has been created to serve B.C.’s high school and university sports community with hard work, integrity and respect. Feel free to drop us a line any time at howardtsumura@gmail.com.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *