Rebels with a cause

Inverness Rebels win Highland Region Division 1 volleyball championship

INVERNESS — As the Inverness Rebels stood patiently inside the Sydney Academy gym waiting to hear the final call, they knew they were on the verge of history.

After dropping the opening game of the Highland Region Division 1 girls volleyball championship to the host Wildcats, the Inverness County school had battled back to post a 3-1 record and earn a spot in the final match.

When the referee signalled the ball as in bounds on the final play and the point was given to the Rebels, the team immediately realized they had done something no other club in school history had accomplished — they had won a Division 1 title.

The Rebels had defeated Sydney Academy 25-14, 20-25, 15-13 to capture the Highland Region Division 1 title and advance to the School Sport Nova Scotia provincial championship.

“It took a minute to sink in,” said Rebels head coach Angus Campbell. “I thought the ball was out from where I was sitting, but the official said otherwise. I think the girls were shocked and excited at the same time.”

Prior to the game, Campbell said the team had talked about the history-making feat, noting the girls came together as one to be successful.

“I told them we had a chance to do something special,” said Campbell. “We had played all the teams in the tournament, and beat them, so we knew we could knock off Sydney. It was just pure excitement when we did.”

Campbell, who played men’s volleyball for the Dalhousie Tigers of the Atlantic University Sport, said the team’s victory came from the strength of its middle players.

“We needed to focus on passing the ball because we have a really strong middle,” he said. “The first set in the final we were able to use our middles, but the second set they weren’t really involved. We made it a point to make sure they were involved in the final set.”

DIVISION CHANGE

While fans wouldn’t necessarily know by watching the Rebels play on the court, the Inverness team isn’t an average Division 1 club.

In fact, Inverness Education Centre Academy is considered a Division 3 school by School Sport Nova Scotia, based on its population. The school currently has 49 students, making them one of the smaller schools in the province.

The Rebels have had success at the Division 3 level over the years. The team last won a provincial championship in 2019-20 and prior to that won the Nova Scotia title in the division 12 straight years from 1998 to 2010.

With a core group returning for the 2021-22 season, Campbell pitched the idea of the team moving up two divisions prior to the start of the season.

“We had a really good season last year and there are a few girls on the team who can definitely play post-secondary,” said Campbell. “I knew there were opportunities for them to be seen and develop if we moved up to Division 1.”

Campbell and the team discussed the proposal at the club’s first practice of the season, but the decision was ultimately in the hands of the players.

“We were very successful against Division 1 teams in exhibition play and I thought we would be crazy not to do it, but I let the girls decide,” said Campbell. “They came back and told me they wanted to give it a try and we went for it.”

Unlike other high school sports, volleyball doesn’t have a traditional league in Cape Breton. Each club plays exhibition games during the regular season and attends tournaments to gain experience — Inverness went 15-5 on the season.

Inverness played in one tournament during the year, in New Glasgow, and finished second in the event, only adding to their confidence prior to the regional tournament.

The Rebels opened the regional tournament with a 25-17, 25-15 loss to Sydney Academy. The club responded with 25-1, 25-11 win over Memorial, a 25-20, 25-18 victory over Riverview and then defeated Glace Bay 2511, 25-8 — leading to the final with the Wildcats.

ACCOMPLISHMENT RECOGNIZED

The Inverness victory has been a talking point for many in Inverness County over the past few weeks.

Campbell said he’s received plenty of feedback and support from the Inverness community, which had 1,387 residents as of 2011.

“It’s a big deal for our community,” he said, noting the

core group of the team has also played together on club teams during the winter.

“There's a lot of people who have reached out to us. I think they realize that we're a small school playing against big schools — they know we have a special group of girls.”

The Inverness team's success shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, especially when you look at their roster. The club has three players who are currently with provincial teams — Sarah Ryan, Avery MacKinnon and Alexa Beaton.

More importantly, Campbell believes the friendships on and off the court have had a major impact on his club's success.

“They know each other and are comfortable with each other,” said Campbell. “The players are really good friends on and off the court and have come through the ranks together and that makes a big difference when a team plays for each other.”

PROVINCIALS

Inverness will enter the School Sport Nova Scotia provincial championship as the top team from Cape Breton, but understands the challenges they face moving forward.

“I think we'll go in relaxed because we'll have a bit of an underdog approach being a small school,” said Campbell, noting the team has seen larger schools including Citadel of Halifax and Cobequid Educational Centre of Truro play this season.

“We'll be prepared. We know that at this point of the year we're just a couple of games away from another championship — we'll have the same mindset and hopefully keep adding to the history books for the school.”

The provincial championship will be played Friday and Saturday in the Northumberland Region at Cobequid in Truro.

Inverness will play in Pool A with Lockview of Fall River, the host CEC and Park View of Bridgewater while Pool B will include Halifax West, Citadel of Halifax, Horton of Wolfville and Sydney Academy.