Huskies to compete in Bay of Quinte

February 18, 2025

By Bill Kilpatrick

After an up-and-down year for the North Hastings High School junior and senior girl’s volleyball teams, both teams pulled off some important wins to make it to the Bay of Quinte championships held on Feb. 10 in Belleville. The Junior girls were set to play Trenton for fifth place the week prior, but the game was postponed due to inclement weather and was set to played the morning of the Bay of Quinte tournament. A win would mean they would stay, and a loss would send them packing. The junior girls, led by their captain Brynn Kilpatrick, rallied to beat Trenton in three straight sets, 25-18, 25-12, and 25-13 ensuring them a seat in the tournament.

Next the juniors had to play the strong team from St. Theresa’s, who went on to win the tournament. Though the girls fought hard they lost in in three straight sets. 25-21, 25-17, and 25-19. Their second game was against East Northumberland, a team they had not faced all season, so they did not know what to expect. While they played their hearts out they lost in two straight sets 25-13 and 25-21 and missed qualifying for the central Ontario championships. Coach Janet Beauchamp said the team “competed well and had some great passes on some tough serves… [and] they fought until the last point” she said, adding that she was “very proud of the volleyball played by her team” this season.

The senior girls had an almost identical day to the junior team. They also had a 9 a.m. do-or-die game prior to the tournament against St. Paul’s. Led by their captains Jessica Boyd and Kaitlyn Walker they too rallied to beat St. Paul’s in straight sets 25-11,25-19 and 25-6 earning a seat at the tournament. Next, they faced some tough competition being the top seeded Quinte Christian team and the pool A second seeded team from St. Theresa’s losing in straight sets to both teams 25-10, 25-22, 25-13 and 25-13 and 25-22 respectively.

Alex Comrie, the senior coach, said that despite the tough losses at the Bay of Quinte tournament the girls “had a great season” finishing fourth in their division with a 3-3 record. “Our goal this season” said Comrie “was to stay competitive in a very tough league while learning and growing as a group. This led us to our first Bay of Quinte tournament in five years, which was an amazing accomplishment for the girls. We battled hard all year long and worked hard to reach the level of success we did.” Comrie thanked assistant coaches Krystal Grey and Chip Gillis for their dedication to the team and he also wanted to thank the parents who helped get the girls to their games. “I am looking forward to next season as we try to accomplish even bigger goals,” he said.