The Capitals 18U Girls team travelled to
Cégep Édouard Montpetit in Longueuil, Quebec on Good Friday
to compete in the Volleyball Quebec Omnium du
Quebec 20U. In a pretty intense
tuneup for upcoming Provincials, this CAPS team proved once again how
well they can work together and roll with the punches for a great
result.
After a pre-6AM start on the road, the
girls arrived for their first match of the day against Condors
Élites (Beauce). CAPS service
errors really kept the Condors in this first set which the Quebec team
took 22-25. The result of the second set was proof, as the CAPS
gradually took complete charge, eventually taking the
second by a score of 25-13.
Match number two of the day pitted the
girls against John Abbott Islanders (Ste-Anne de Bellevue), the
eventual tournament winners. The Capitals seemed fatigued in the
first set and were able to generate very little effective offense or
defense. Add to that the Islanders' exceptional positional
play and you had the recipe for a mid-set 3-17 lead for the
Islanders. The CAPS battled back but were unable to get their
opponents back in reach and lost the first set 14-25. They also
lost team captain Tess Edwards for the day to a bad thumb sprain.
Considering that starting left side Meghan O'Doherty was at home
with the flu and Kate Eckhardt was playing with a stomach muscle
strain, it was clear that the whole team would need to dig deep to
finish near the top in this 20U event. Set two began much
better, with the girls jumping out to a 14-10 lead, but that lead
quickly dwindled away and the Islanders prevailed once again by a
score of 18-25.
The CAPS' next opponents were L'Idéal d'André
Laurendeau (Lasalle). The gap between matches seemed to have
done the CAPS some good as they handled L'Idéal with relative
ease, 25-14 and 25-7, making use of a strong service and blocking game
to jump right back into tournament contention.
The girls' last opponents in pool play were Volontaires
from Sherbrooke. The CAPS were in charge of their own destiny at
this point in the day; win both matches and you're off to the final
four; lose either one and you're relegated to the consolation round.
The girls were full measure for the challenge, playing superb,
relatively error-free volleyball in both games. In the first,
the girls played from the front for the whole set but nearly let a
5-point lead slip away, eventually taking the set 25-23. Set two
was even more of a battle. A set saving dig by Liz at 23-22 and
a huge match-winning stuff block by Jessie and Ashley sent the CAPS
through to the semis on a day when it had seemed that a finish in
the bottom half would be the most likely result.
In the semi-finals the CAPS faced off against a very strong
Celtique Jr. team from Montreal. Set one was a bit of a mess
as the girls struggled to deal with Celtique's massive left side
attack and very quick barrage from the middle. The girls went
down to their worst loss of the season, 6-25. Some strategic
lineup juggling by Coach O'Doherty saw the CAPS turn the match
around in the second set. Some big blocking at the middle by
Alex and Heather, consistent setting by Ashley and a relentless attack
game from Kate, Becky and Jessie saw the CAPS wrench a see-saw 25-22
victory away from Celtique in an extremely entertaining set of
volleyball. What happened after that can best be described in
four words: I HAVE NO IDEA. There's no question
that the girls seemed a little more tired than normal at this point in
the day, but it doesn't really explain the outcome of the rubber set
of the match. Whatever problems Celtique had encountered in set
two had completely evaporated as they went on a crazy 0-10 run.
The eventual 2-15 final score was well earned - not much you can do but congratulate the Quebeckers on a dominating performance.
The battle for what the girls thought would be a bronze medal
placed the CAPS in the sights of our Griffons scrimmage
partners from Gatineau. The first set of the match began with
zero warmup from either squad, something we don't see too often. Both teams were very tired and it showed. The girls played with a lead throughout and
prevailed 25-20. The second saw a little more life from both
teams, with the CAPS never gaining more than a 3 point lead on Les
Griffons. It was a fight to the finish but the Capitals took the
set 25-23.
The girls then waited 10 or 15 minutes for the gold medal match
to wrap up so they could finish proceedings, grab a bite to eat and
head home. But the wait proved to be unnecessary as the
organizers advised us that there would be no bronze medals handed out
at this event (about as expected as the box score on that semi against
Celtique)!
A great result nonetheless for this group of 18U players
competing against the best 20U players Quebec has to offer.
Thanks to all the parents for driving and for a great job by both the
coaches and players. The 18U CAPS second-to-last event of the
season will be the 18U Provincial Championships on April 9-10
at Brock University in St. Catharines.
TOP FOUR / Volleyball Quebec
Omnium du Quebec 20U:
1. John Abbott Islanders (Ste-Anne de
Bellevue)
2. Celtique Jr. (Montreal)
3. National Capitals 18U
4. Griffons (Gatineau)
