The Vanier Vikings are heading to their first volleyball provincials in seven years as they make their way to the SHSAA 4A Boys Volleyball Provincial Championship in Humboldt.

The last provincial appearance for Vanier came at the 5A level in 2010.

“This is my first time, and our whole team’s first time, heading to provincials, so it will be a fun time and hopefully we can do well,” said Vanier captain Matthew Ingold.

The Vikings have had a great season, finishing second overall in the Moose Jaw League before posting a second place finish at conference play downs two weeks ago.

They secured their spot at provincials with a third place finish over the weekend on their home court at the regional championship.  Vanier beat Fort Qu’Appelle in two sets in the third place game on Saturday to advance to provincials.

Making sure they manage their nerves and stay focused throughout games is going to be the biggest key for the Vikings.

“We’re playing pretty good, but sometimes last weekend we fell apart mentally and couldn’t hold it in emotionally, so if we just stay high and don’t get low, we should do well,” said Ingold.

Ingold added that having played in some big games throughout the season will be a benefit for the team heading into the provincials.

“We’ve dealt with all the hype that surrounds big games, so that will help us,” he said.

“If we stay hard on defence and then just let that run our offence, that will help us get through and hopefully win.”

The Vikings will get a tough test in their opening game at provincials as they face host Humboldt to kick-off the round robin on Friday at 1 p.m.  They will also meet Saskatoon Christian and Shaunavon on Friday before closing out the round robin against Sturgis on Saturday morning.

The playoff round goes on Saturday afternoon with the championship game set for 5:30 p.m.  Click here for the full schedule.