Same gym.

Same banner.

Grunthal's Green Valley Pirates are the second best “AA” varsity girls high school volleyball team for the second time in three years.

The Pirates lost out to Major Pratt of Russell in the championship game Saturday night in Morris.

The Trojans, who beat Green Valley in the semifinals at the provincials last year in Russell, swept the Pirates 25-22, 25-12.

"There are some girls on that Major Pratt team that are definitely difference makers and in that second set it showed," said Green Valley coach Conner Wiebe. "Our girls knew that they were up against something tough and certainly they put in the effort worthy of at least being a finalist in this tournament. We're holding our heads high at the end of this one."

The Pirates defeated the Warren Wildcats, Frontier Raiders, MacGregor Mustangs and the host Mavericks in the round robin.

Green Valley beat Gimli 25-8, 22-25, 15-8 in the quarterfinals and then ended the championship reign of the Killarney Raiders, the team they lost to in the final two years ago in the Morris gym, 24-26, 25-15, 15-8.

"My expectations were simply get to the semis," said Wiebe. "Once we're there, enjoy the ride and see if we can find a way to make that final. We stepped up. We made it to the top two and that for me as a coach, is something I will never forget."

Vanessa Friesen and Arielle Sawatzky were named tournament All-Stars.

Wiebe brought one of the youngest teams to the provincials.

But the Green Valley coach knows that for six grade 11 players and the four in grade 10 – the experience of playing in the provincials and playing as well as they did in Morris - should pay huge dividends next year.

"The maturity and the ability to come together, especially after an up-and-down kind of season, we knew there would take some work to get to this point. We'll be back. We will be back, definitely."