It is down to the final four in the 2A tier while eight teams remain in the hunt for the 3A title as teams are through two days at the 2019 BC Secondary School Volleyball Provincial Championships.
AA Boys
Four of the top five finishers in 2018 remain in the hunt following two days of action at Langley Events Centre as they get set for Friday’s semifinals, both of which begin at 3 p.m.
The four remaining teams are also this year’s top four seeds with the No. 1 Langley Christian up against the No. 4 George Elliot Coyotes in one semifinal and the No. 2 MEI Eagles versus the No. 3 Abbotsford Christian Knights in an all-Abbotsford battle.
The Knights won the title in 2018 over the Coyotes while the Lightning took bronze and MEI was fifth.
In Thursday’s quarter-final round, MEI was a 3-0 (25-22,25-16,25-21) winner over Surrey Christian while Abbotsford Christian also won 3-0 (27-25,25-21,25-19) over Pacific Christian.
Langley Christian defeated Pacific Academy 3-0 (25-20,25-18,25-19) and George Elliot needed four sets but prevailed 3-1 (25-19,18-25,25-23,25-14) over the College Heights Cougars.
AAA Boys
All eight top seeds advanced to the quarter-final round, which get underway on Friday morning (9 a.m. and 11 a.m.) before the victors compete later that night in the semifinals.
On the top half of the draw, the No. 1 seed and defending champion Earl Marriott Mariners will face the Riverside Rapids, the No. 8 seed while other quarter-final features No. 4 Oak Bay Barbers and the No. 7 Okanagan Mission Huskies.
The Mariners made quick work of the Fraser Heights FireHawks in an all-Surrey battle in the round of 16, winning 3-0 (25-15,25-12,25-20).
The Rapids dropped the first set against the Yale Lions before battling back to win 3-1 (20-25,25-11,25-17,25-20).
The Barbers won 3-1 (25-23,25-23,18-25,25-19) over the Seaquam Seahawks and now face Okanagan Mission after the Huskies won in straight sets 3-0 (25-19,25-13,25-21) over the Steveston-London Sharks.
The bottom half of the draw features the No. 3 Claremont Spartans and No. 6 Argyle Pipers in one quarter-final and the No. 2 Kelowna Owls and No. 5 Eric Hamber Griffins in the other.
The Spartans were straight sets winners over the Vancouver Island rival Reynolds Roadrunners 3-0 (25-15,25-19,25-18) while the Pipers were pushed to five sets before prevailing 3-2 (25-17,25-21,11-25,21-25,15-10) over the Mount Boucherie Bears.
Kelowna knocked off their fellow Okanagan-Thompson rivals from Penticton 3-0 (25-20,25-15,28-26) and the Griffins were 3-1 winners over the Fleetwood Park Dragons 3-1 (25-18, 25-15,24-26,25-17).
