April 24, 2005 - The 15U CAPS traveled to Barrie for the Ontario Volleyball Association 16 & Under Girls Tier 2 Ontario Championships at Eastview Secondary School.  Seeded 12th of 16 teams, the girls arrived on Saturday morning with a number of players feeling under the weather and missing setter Leah Beadle, who was out with the flu.

The CAPS started the day by taking on Forest City Blue (#5 seed), winning both sets easily by scores of 25-10 and 25-15.  Match 2 pitted the CAPS against the #4  seed and eventual pool winner, Scarborough Falcons.  The girls fought hard in the first game and held the lead over the Falcons as the scoring moved through the double digits.  At the end of the game however, momentum shifted and our CAPS went down to defeat 23-25.  The second set score was somewhat lopsided as the Falcons prevailed 14-25.

Before pool play was completed the teams took a break for the 16U OVA Awards of Excellence.  The 15U CAPS chose the very deserving Haley Wolfenden for their award, another fine example of the qualities the award recognizes.  Haley joins Lauren Carter, who won the Award for the team at the 15U Championships in Ajax.

After the award break, the CAPS challenged the host Georgian Kodiaks (#13 seed) and won by scores of 25-19, 25-20.  This victory placed the girls 2nd in their pool, meaning that playoffs would begin with a match against the 3rd place team from pool B, Toronto West (#10 seed).  The first set was a close battle all the way through and, although not always a pretty affair, the Capitals held fast and came away with a 26-24 win.  In the second set the team had a very strong showing, leading the game at one point by a score of 22-6 before the Toronto team came back for a 25-15 final score.  The match win assured the CAPS of a Top 8 finish with enough time left in the day for a well earned team meal and some R&R.

On the strength of the win in the first round of the playoffs, the team got a chance to sleep-in (if you can call 8:30 'sleeping in').  The first match on Sunday was against Chatham Ballhawks (#11 seed).  For a while, it looked like the girls were going to lose as they struggled and fell behind late in the first game.  However, when it came to the crunch, the girls were able to pull their game together and came from behind to win 25-22.  The loss seemed to take some of the fight out of the Ballhawks and our CAPS went on to win the second set 25-17.  In the semis the team battled against Georgetown Impact (#8 seed), coming from behind in the first set to win a nail-biter 25-21 and then earning their way into the final with a 25-22  second set victory.

The championship was a re-match against the Scarborough Falcons, who had gone undefeated throughout the tournament.  The teams traded points all the way up and both games ended in close scores.  Despite their hard work and determination, the CAPS couldn't quite overcome the Falcons, going on to earn silver by very close scores of  25-27 and 23-25.  A silver medal by the 12th seeded team at a 16U championship event is a fantastic result, a testament to the progress made by all the players in recent months, and a great way to end the OVA season for the 15U Girls. 

Coach Matt Harris was clearly happy with the outcome, saying "our girls came out strong on Saturday morning and battled all weekend long - they should all be proud of their efforts and success."  He added,  "We've got some things to work on and some improvements to build towards over the next couple of weeks, then it's on to the grand finale in Sherbrooke."

Many thanks go to Hugh Billings for his fine work on calling lines, to the Beadles for organizing accommodations, and to all the rest of the parents (as always) for their support, cheering, and yummy food.   Thanks are also extended to the hosts, Georgian VC, for a well-run tournament.

The 15U Girls see their last action of the 2004-2005 season at the Volleyball Canada 15 & Under Canadian Open in Sherbrooke from May 13th to 15th.

1. Scarborough Falcons (4)

2. National Capitals 15U  (12)

3. Georgetown Impact (8)

4. Ottawa Mavericks (14)

5. Kingston Pegasus (9)

8. Chatham Ballhawks (11)

15. Aurora Storm Fury (16)

15. York Region Stingrays 89 (7)