April 24, 2005 In various gyms around Ontario this past weekend, more than fifty 16U girls volleyball teams played in Provincial Championship tournaments to find out how they ranked after 7 months of training and competition.  The 16 strongest of these came together in Newmarket at the OVA 16 & Under Girls Tier 1 Ontario Championships to see who would wear the title of "best of the best".

Having won gold at the 16U Tier 1 Open in February, our National Capitals came into this competition as seed #1.  The girls began round robin play against the 16th seed Scarborough Vipers and, although the Vipers were a bigger team, the CAPS dominated in two games, 25-20 and 25-14.  9th seed Stratford Stingers were next in line to take a run at the CAPS.  The Stingers fell short in set 1, taking the loss 25-22.  In the second set the CAPS found themselves behind at set point, 20-24.  In an exciting turn of event, the girls evened up the score to 24-24, but the Stingers were eager to beat the 1st place team and did so by a score of 25-27.  The Stingers' desire stayed strong and pushed them forward to a very tight match victory, 14-16.  The last match of round robin play saw the CAPS play the #8 seed, Aurora Storm Rage.  After three entertaining sets of volleyball action the CAPS dispensed with Aurora by scores of 25-22, 20-25 and 15-13, earning 2nd place in their pool.

Head Coach Cathy O'Doherty shared, "Our girls are playing well - the other teams have a strong desire to beat us because we're seeded #1.  They're hungry to eat us alive and are playing some great ball."

The OVA Award of Excellence presentation took place after round robin play and allowed each team's coaching staff the opportunity to choose one player on their team to receive this award.  The criteria for selection is "dedication to the sport of volleyball, perseverance and commitment, sportsmanship and fair play, team spirit, leadership and performance".  Judging by the approving roar of cheers coming from her teammates, it was evident that the team agreed that Sarah Fetterly was a deserving recipient of this year's prize.  Erin O'Doherty commented, "It's great to play with Sarah because of her confidence on the court - she's never worried - I always feel good when Sarah is out there."  Setter Pascal Robichaud agreed and added, "Sarah always has a smile on her face - no matter what.  She always has a positive attitude".

As the tournament continued into playoff action the CAPS' first opponent was #6 seed Forest City who the girls quickly defeated in 2 sets: 25-19, 25-14.  This win secured the CAPS their rightful place in the tournament's Top 8 teams.   As they warmed up for the quarter finals to play the 12th seed Georgian Bay Vista ,the CAPS seemed pumped and eager to win.  Even with Vista's strong attack game, the CAPS took the first set 25-21.   In the second the CAPS fell behind and couldn't catch up, losing 18-25.  The 3rd set went back and forth - both teams staying focused and playing intense volleyball.  However the CAPS lost just a bit too much of their offensive aggression and dropped a heartbreaker to Vista, 13-15.  As a result, the CAPS were knocked out of the medal round.

The girls now had to gather it up, regroup and refocus to battle for 5th place, and that they did.  The CAPS soundly defeated the #3 seed Ganaraska Wolves in two: 25-17 and 25-16.  The girls then defeated the 4th seed Peel Selects in a back-and-forth affair: 25-19, 17-25, 16-14 to take their final Top 5 Ontario ranking.

Coach O'Doherty commented, "The girls played extremely well all weekend.  They came up against tough competition throughout the entire tournament, especially against Vista in the quarters.  It's always disappointing to lose such a close match but we have to give credit to the competition.  It was exciting, fast-paced volleyball and no surprise when Vista went on to win the gold." ... "We were determined to grab that 5th place spot and had to play two tough teams to do it!  The girls played controlled, disciplined ball to easily beat the Wolves.  The Peel game was much tougher - three sets - just like most of the intense, entertaining volleyball played this weekend, some of the best I have ever witnessed at the 16U level." ... "The girls should be very proud of their accomplishment.  We can now take this experience and build towards Eastern and Western Nationals in May.  They've worked hard and are ready for battle in Sherbrooke and Calgary!"

Special thanks go out to our volunteer parent drivers who safely delivered the girls to and from tournaments and to Sherry Fetterly who organized all of the driving throughout the season.  Thank you to Cathy O'Doherty, Matt Harris and Lorraine Robichaud for their dedication and excellence in coaching the 16U girls this season.  And thanks also to the Etobicoke Titans for managing this tournament and for putting together an excellent concession stand.

You can next catch the 16U CAPS in action in Sherbrooke, Quebec at the Volleyball Canada 16U Canadian East Open, from May 13th to 15th.