Portage Collegiate Institute's a force on the beach volleyball court.

The Grade 11 combination of Shayne Nichols and Jana Laing took to the beach volleyball courts at Adrenaline Adventures in Winnipeg over the weekend and came in second place at the Manitoba High School Athletics Association (MHSAA) varsity beach volleyball provincial championship. They lost a tight game to Saint Mary's Academy in the championship final.

"I think some of the games were harder this time around," says Nichols. "I don't know though, it's still an open tournament so there are some people there that are just doing it for fun. I'm really proud we were able to get back to where we were last year."

It was a blustery weekend of competition where the ball could take off with a little too much power. Nichols says it definitely affected the ball trajectory but they managed to fight through it.

"It was pretty windy on all the courts, and if you would pass it too high it would blow off onto another court."

Nichols has been taking to the beach volleyball court for the last three years with PCI. Laing climbed aboard last year when they captured their first silver.

"We've played together for a long time now because of indoor volleyball," says Laing. "We know how each other plays and what we can do best out there. I don't normally play beach volleyball, but Shayne does and I enjoy being her partner."

Laing adds the most exciting time of the tournament was when they managed to take out the team that won the championship last year and beat them in the final. The pair played eight matches over the course of the weekend. They went 3-0 during pool play on Day 1, then lost their only match in the Championship Final.