The girls with the golden arms

As play continued during the YCMHS girls' volleyball team's opening match of their tournament last weekend, two things were clear: one, though two starters from last year's provincial championship-winning team are gone, the team is still very strong; and two, local students and sports fans finally realized just how good their team is.

"You can only do so much away without having your own people that you see every day seeing you play," said Alyssa Berry during a practice last Wednesday, referring to students finally getting to see their team in action.

"We always talk about, 'we're provincial champions,' but I don't think they understand how good we are," added Keisha Muise.

Muise and Berry, along with Megan Pothier and Ariel Smith are what remains of the starting six Vikings that last year earned the school's first ever Division 1 provincial banner.

With them back, coach Anthony Pleasant says Yarmouth is still a force.

"We probably have the best four-player tandem in the province. They just won't take losing."

Pleasant says this attitude is spreading over his new girls as they try to get accustomed to the speed of the Division 1 game.

He says the biggest difference he sees in this year from last is in the way teams approach games against the Vikings.

"It's hard to (become the best) but it's even harder to stay there because now everybody's gunning for you; nobody takes a game off against you. Everybody wants to beat the defending champions."

But the big four aren't making that easy.

The key to their strong play together, says Pleasant, is the way the four relate to one another.

"They don't seem to be people that worry about being the all-star. They worry about winning the volleyball game; winning the tournament is more important than anything.

"It's never about 'me' or 'I', it's about 'us', it's about 'us winning' and that is hard to find with four girls that talented."

Indeed each player contributes to the group in her own way.

Smith, without question, is the first you'll notice. With a cannon for a left arm and more hops than the Labatt Brewing Company, she's the last person opposing teams want to see taking a set.

If Smith is thunder then Berry is lightening. Berry has the most complete game on the floor. While she has lots of power she also has good touch and moves well to the ball.

Muise, usually the team's setter, has fine touch, moves well and always seems to know where her teammates are.

Pothier is the team's floor general. Always talking always teaching, she has power, digs well in the backcourt and calms the team when they start to get off balance.

In practice and games they take rookies aside to give them direction, help them learn the system and where they should be. Pleasant says this is what will keep the team successful and the players know it too.

The priority, says Pothier, is to work with the new players so they can be comfortable; something the other three agree is more important for the team right now than winning.

With a win in a tournament earlier this year at Cobequid Educational Centre and a second-place finish in their own tournament, the girls say they are feeling good about where they are at this point in the season.

And if they feel pressure going into matches as the defending champs, they don't show it.

"People are scared of us, because we did win . . . But I don't think we're the team to fear," says Berry.

The team heads to Newfoundland Oct. 26-29 to defend their Volleyfest title and then have one more tournament before regionals on Nov. 17, which Pleasant is hoping will be in Yarmouth.