And still.
The Muenster Cougars girls volleyball team retained their provincial championship on Saturday, defeating Ile-a-la-Crosse in two sets.
It is a big building block for the school, who never won a provincial volleyball title prior to last year.
"It's still a little bit surreal. After you go through the weekend and look back on it, there are lots of things that stick out," said Coach Joel Taphorn. "The girls were exceptional. Right from start to finish."
Taphorn says that he got messages from teachers at the school on Friday, as classes were slightly interrupted to root on the team from Muenster.
Those tuning in and traveling to see the Cougars play were treated to a near flawless finish, according to Taphorn.
"I still can't fathom how good they played. When you look back at the highlights, they played mistake-free ball. It was almost the perfect game of volleyball."
Taphorn says that although they did start out their playoff run on a shaky note, they never lost a set in their three weeks of playoffs.
Despite graduating five players from last year's championship team, Taphorn says the Grade 11's from last year who are now in Grade 12 were the guiding light towards their second win.
He added that a lot of the groundwork for helping to create a successful volleyball scene in the community goes to the team's other coach, Jewel Varga.
"She's worked with these girls since the beginning of junior, running club and helping coach the school team, so she deserves a lot of the credit."
Taphorn also wanted to express his gratitude for those who supported the team.
"We had a core group of parents and fans from the area who drove up on Saturday to cheer us on. We had lots of people watching online and you get texts as the game is going on, so we really appreciate that."
Englefeld upgrades from bronze to silver
Although they fell just short of a 1A girls provincial title, Englefeld improved on their recent appearances at provincials.
The Eagles made it all the way to the provincial final, where they were defeated by the defending champions from Rose Valley.
It was the fourth straight year the team earned a medal at provincials, having won bronze the three years prior.
For Rose Valley, it was their third straight championship game, winning the last two and placing second in 2015.
The Horizon Central Athletic Association's third provincial girls championship came in 3A play.
Wakaw, who has largely dominated the medals over the last decade-plus, added another to their haul, defeating Foam Lake in the provincial final.
It was the school's 10th provincial championship since 2004. During that span, they have appeared in all but two provincial finals.
The Wynyard Bears won the 3A bronze medal for the second straight year. It is their third year in a row bringing back a medal, having also won silver in 2015.
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