Future bright after sweet three-peat
The three-year dominance of Anna Filippin-Buller and Taylor Labossière of College Jeanne Sauvé was on full display May 28 and 31, as they claimed their third straight girls' 2s provincial title.
Although the tournament marked the end of their high school careers, it's only the beginning for the longtime volleyball teammates, who will continue playing together this fall at the University of Winnipeg.
SUPPLIED
Anna Filippin-Buller (left) and Taylor Labossière three-peated as provincial beach volleyball champions to close out their Grade 12 year. The pair are set to join the University of Winnipeg Wesmen this fall.
'It felt so awesome,' said Labossière on their provincial championship. 'That's what was so special about this year, is that we knew we could do it three times in a row. So when we got to finals, we were like, 'how awesome would it be if we could do it three times?' And so it was just awesome to finish off with a win.'
The pair have been playing volleyball together since they were 14, competing in club and three-person beach volleyball during the summer before deciding to enter the high school beach provincials in Grade 9. They lost in the quarterfinals that year, but have been earning gold ever since.
'I think we're both very easy-going people,' said Filippin-Buller. 'We're obviously competitive, but we're not harsh with each other. So when there's mix-ups on the court, or little problems, I think we can resolve those pretty quickly.'
Labossière said her biggest adjustment to beach volleyball again was switching to hitting and scoring points since she plays libero in the club season — a defensive specialist position responsible for most of the passing and digging.
During the school year, Filippin-Buller and Labossière played on the Jeanne-Sauvé AAAA varsity girls team and separate club teams.
'When we're on the court and we're playing together, it's never really stressful, even during tight games,' said Filippin-Buller. 'We always know we're going to pull through, because we just got each other's backs on that, like we don't get frustrated with each other. I think that's a huge part of our success.'
Due to the high temperatures during the tournament, the duo also played with Celeste Pelletier, a younger teammate from their high school team, who subbed in for some sets to give much-needed breaks.
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'I think we went in a little bit more competitive than we had before,' said Filippin-Buller. 'We were a little more serious about it. But it was still one of the most fun times that I've had. And beach volleyball at school with Taylor will be a memory I'll have forever.'
More memories are still ahead at the University of Winnipeg, where playing together again wasn't planned from the beginning, but was a factor in their final decision on where to go to school.
'That was definitely a thought in our head,' said Labossière. 'We've played together for five years already. How cool would it be if we got to play five more years together? So I think it was a little bit in the back of our minds that we could do this together and just continue playing together.'
Filippin-Buller will represent Team Manitoba at the Canada Summer Games this August in St. John's, N.L., before the pair reunites under coach Phil Hudson with the Wesmen, where they will take their competitive volleyball careers to the next level.
zoe.pierce@freepress.mb.ca
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