The Moscrop Panthers are headed back to the B.C. AAA high school boys' volleyball provincial championships.
The Panthers came from behind to defeat Vancouver No. 2 Magee 15-10 in a third-set tiebreaker to earn a spot back at the B.C. boys' championships on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, the No. 6ranked Panthers hooked their ticket into the Lower Mainland final, sweeping Richmond High in straight sets.
The win will pit Moscrop against either Vancouver Technical or Vancouver champion Eric Hamber, the team that upset the Panthers in last year's Mainland final.
Although Moscrop is assured of a second straight berth into the B.C. AAA high school championship tournament, there is a big incentive to win a first-ever Mainland banner, said Moscrop team captain Zachary Or.
"Our school has never won (the Mainlands) before. I'm sure it's as close as we've ever come," said Or. "We want to do it for Brandon (Chin). We've been thinking of Brandon the whole year - doing it for him."
Chin, an integral part of last year's Moscrop senior team, was hurt in a semifinal game at the Mainlands and was lost to the squad for the remainder of the post season.
After a close 25-22 opening set against Richmond, Moscrop looked sharp in Game 2, opening on a 7-1 run off the service, including an ace by Grade 11 power J.J. Cross, and fashioning 10 kills en route to a 25-11 win.
The Panthers closed out the match with a 26-24 victory.
Moscrop played for the Lower Mainland title on Thursday (after NOW deadlines).
The Panthers topped pool A with straight-set wins over Steveston-London and Tech.
Burnaby North had its moments at the Mainlands, taking Richmond to a tiebreaker in its opening pool match. The Vikings served for four match points against Richmond but were unable to close out the game.
North also fell in straight sets to David Thompson and Hamber and was eliminated.
The AAA provincials will be held in Kelowna at the UBC Okanagan campus from Nov. 28 to Dec. 1.
