The Fillmore Falcons boys' volleyball squad captured their first-ever provincial title on Saturday, defeating Consul in three sets to win the championship final of the 1A Provincials hosted in Fillmore and Stoughton this weekend.

Between 300 and 400 spectators crowded into the gymnasium at 33 Central School on Saturday evening to watch the final game between Fillmore and Consul.

"It was packed. There was no room to sit," said Greg Lendvay, coach of the Fillmore Falcons volleyball team.

It was a tense match, as the Fillmore Falcons lost the first set 25-20. They quickly rebounded from that defeat, winning the next two sets 25-20 and 25-17.

Though 33 Central School is well-known for winning provincials year after year in girls' basketball, they have never won a provincial championship in boys' volleyball. The closest they have come was a silver medal in 1999, said Lendvay.

"We've had a lot of success in girls' basketball," said Lendvay. "Now, it's kind of nice for the guys to get their recognition."

Fillmore had a nearly unblemished record at the provincials, except for a single loss to Consul in the round robin.

Consul had Fillmore scouted out pretty well, said Lendvay, but they also benefited from having a coach from Oxbow, the reigning provincial champions in boys' volleyball for over a decade. Oxbow recently won the provincial 4A championship.

The large crowd of spectators also provided some tension for the Fillmore Falcons, since many of the boys had no experience playing in front of a large audience, let alone one made up of cheering fans and family members, said Lendvay.

"Even throughout the tournament, (there was nervousness). But especially walking into the gym and seeing how many people were there they're not used to playing volleyball with that many people," he added.

The 1A Provincials was co-hosted between Stoughton and Fillmore, though 33 Central School was the site of the playoff round. The tournament began on Friday morning and continued into Saturday.

Fillmore had a 5-0 record in the round robin, finishing first out of their pool of six. They defeated Englefeld in two sets of 28-26 and 25-12, Abbey in two sets of 27-25 and 25-9, Ecole Zenon Park in two sets of 25-9 and 25-8, Glaslyn in two sets of 25-14 and 25-7, and Consul in three sets of 25-12, 21-25 and 25-22.

Because they finished first, Fillmore received a bye into the semi-finals, along with 'B' pool leaders Hodgeville. Fillmore faced Perdue in the semi-final, but defeated them in two sets (25-14, 25-19).

Perdue was a good team and had one of the strongest hitters in the tournament, Lendvay said, but they had run out of steam by the time Fillmore faced them.