After winning a gold medal at the season-opening Ontario
Volleyball Association Provincial Cup in Ottawa earlier this month,
the National Capitals 18U Girls added to their medal count by
earning a hard-fought silver at the Ontario Volleyball Association
18 & Under Girls McGregor Cup (Zone D) held in Kingston this
past Saturday, November 27th.
The #1 seeded 18U CAPS started strongly by going undefeated
through the round robin portion of the tournament, defeating the #8
seed Ottawa Kangaroos (25-14, 25-22), the #5 seed Durham
Attack Red (25-13, 25-18) and the #4 seed DRVC (18-25,
25-15, 19-17). In the playoff round, the girls continued their
strong play with a 2-0 victory over the host #7 seed Kingston
Pegasus in the quarter-finals (25-14, 25-10) and again defeating
the Ottawa Kangaroos (25-11, 25-11) in the semi-finals.
However, in the finals, the 18U CAPS ran up against an inspired
Durham Attack Black team and lost in straight sets (25-18,
25-20).
Although the scores don't necessarily indicate it, the 2 teams
played some impressive ball in this final. Match referee and
tournament organizer Ted Carson said during his closing address, "I
don't mind refereeing when the girls play the level of ball that we
saw here today. Both teams deserve credit for their strong
performances."
"Due to the nagging injuries of several of our key players, we
experimented with various line-ups throughout the day", stated Head
Coach Cathy O'Doherty. "However, in the final, Durham Attack
Black was full value for their victory. They simply overpowered
us, as their hitters played extremely well and we struggled against
their strong blocking game."
Highlights of the day had to be Tess taking one on the head in
the quarter finals, and Becky's strong serving against DRVC which
helped draw the CAPS back in their dramatic come-from-behind victory
during pool play.
By virtue of their gold and silver medal performances in the
first two OVA 18 & Under Zone D tournaments of the year, the 18U
CAPS have qualifed for the OVA's Tier 1 Challenge Cup
tournament which will be held on Saturday, January 8th, 2005.
Final Standings - Ontario Volleyball Association 18 &
Under Girls McGregor Cup (Zone D):
1. Durham Attack Black (Oshawa)
2. National Capitals (Ottawa)
3. DRVC (Whitby)
4. Kangaroos (Ottawa)
5. Ganaraska Wolves (Bowmanville)
5. National Capitals 16U (Ottawa)
7. Durham Attack Red (Oshawa)
7. Pegasus Volleyball Club (Kingston)
