May 14, 2006 - Departure
times varied as members of the 15U CAPS team headed east to compete in
the Volleyball Canada 14U/15U/16U Girls Canadian East Open held
in Moncton, NB from May 12-14th. The Edwards van pulled out in
the wee hours of Wednesday morning, heading to Saint John with 5 team
members and the weekend's assistant coach, CAPS alum and University
of Kentucky Wildcat, Tess Edwards. Other girls, accompanied
by parents, opted to fly to Moncton via Halifax, Montreal, Toronto-
as many different flights as there were players to get
there!
On Wednesday evening, 6 of the girls met
at Rothesay Netherwood School to be billeted in the residence
and experience first-hand what life is like at boarding school.
Greeted by the Grade 9 girls and welcomed by houseparent Ms. MacDonald
and teacher Mrs. Simonds, the girls were treated to a tour of the
spectacular campus before settling down to homemade cookies and a good
night's sleep. The adults were warmly welcomed into the home of
Jennifer and Clark Sancton where they enjoyed a few refreshments
before falling into bed. Thursday morning brought the communal
breakfast, followed by a chapel service where the CAPS showed their
singing prowess (who knew lines in hymns were repeated?). After
many hugs from newly-made friends, the girls loaded into the vans and
set off for the relatively short drive to Moncton.
Arriving at the Coliseum for the noon
practice, the girls got their first glimpse of "Sport Court": 10
volleyball courts set up over the concrete floor! A lively
practice run by assistant coach Tess provided the right balance of
instruction and fun, as the 7 girls in attendance got the
travel-weariness out of their legs. Then it was off to check in
to the Coastal Inn Champlain that was to be home for the next 3
days. The girls were joined by the remainder of the team as each
player arrived, excited to be attending their first National
Championships. Thursday night the team joined the other 151
teams competing in the tournament from ON, QC, NB, NS, PEI and NL.
As speeches welcomed them and Casey LeBlanc (a New Brunswicker from
Canadian Idol) entertained the crowd, provincial pride was shown
as participants tried to out-scream each other. Following the
opening ceremonies, the team checked out downtown Moncton and enjoyed
a local pizza joint before heading off to bed. Coach Cathy
joined the group and immediately started focussing on the team's game
plan for the weekend.
Being grouped in the afternoon wave of
competition meant lazy mornings, daily trips to the mall across the
street and checking out the amusement park and Starbuck's before
heading to the Coliseum, where all-but-one of the matches would be
held. Pool play on Friday matched the CAPS against teams from
Quebec, Ontario and the host, New Brunswick.
The first opponent of the tournament was
Collège de Sacrement (Terrebonne). With their serving game
'on', the CAPS jumped out to an 11-3 lead. Hard hitting gave
the girls confidence as Coach O'Doherty subbed girls in throughout the
match, allowing them all to settle down the nervous jitters of
competition. Showing their skilled offense, the CAPS hit and
blocked their way to a first match victory: 25-13, 25-19.
After a short break, the team took to the
court against a familiar opponent, Burlington Blaze. Hard
serves gave the CAPS 4 aces as they started the set with an 8-4 lead.
Smart playing saw the sets distributed evenly between the middle and
outside as each hitter showed their power. The first set ended
in a victory for the CAPS: 25-13. The second set looked a little
different: suddenly there was no talking on the court, balls were
falling between players and, though there were inspired hits in the
middle, the CAPS found themselves tied at 20-20. Strategic subs
were made, but unfortunately the momentum had swung in favour of the
Blaze, who won the set 20-25. The third set saw a refocussed
CAPS team take to the court and take charge, pounding balls
cross-court and down the line. The set finished with 2 service
aces as the CAPS won 15-7.
A longer break and a change in venue
provided enough time for a quick stop at Timmy's and
Subway for dinner. The final game of the day was delayed by
matches running long, but the CAPS finally took to the court at around
9:15pm against Kent Nord Extrême Plus (Saint Louis de Kent,
NB) in a nearby 4-court high school facility. This team was
fresh off their provincial high school championship victory the
previous weekend, and ready to show their stuff. Taking the
court with the wind-horns supporting them, the Kent girls served
tough, but the CAPS adjusted their serve-reception and came from a 4-6
deficit to lead 9-6. Pounding the ball from middle and serving
aces, the CAPS quickly took control of the set and finished with a
25-13 victory. However, the feisty opponents came back with some
hard hits of their own, and their serves once again gave the CAPS
trouble as they fell behind 5-9. Offside hits and blocks again
gave the CAPS confidence as they tied the score at 13 then played hard
to take the match 25-20. This meant the team had placed 1st in Pool
R. A tired team returned to the hotel to call home, fall into
bed and sing sea shanties until some unspecified hour!
Saturday morning the team split up to
either power-shop at Frenchy's (where most everybody seemed to
find a deal) or to go to Parlee Beach in Shediac. The
beach party included a thorough shop at the Shediac Frenchy's,
a sit-down/photoshoot on the world's largest lobster and a picnic
lunch on the sand. Four girls even braved the water in their
bikinis (!!!) while others threw frisbee or walked along the shore.
Meeting back at the hotel, the team gathered and headed back to the
Coliseum for Power Pool competition, which pitted the CAPS against 3
teams from Quebec. Spectators from Halifax and Saint John arrived to
join the team parents in the cheering section. The girls really
appreciated the extra support.
Taking to the court against Envolley
(Sherbrooke), the CAPS played inspired volleyball. Hustling on
defense, each girl served tough, as once again the hits came from
middle and left side. The CAPS' passing game kicked in during
this match, allowing the setters to take full advantage of all the
offensive options. The end result was an impressive 25-17, 25-10
victory. The regular routine of healthy snacks in between
matches allowed the girls to enjoy the Moncton sun (we heard it rained
in Ottawa the entire weekend!) and watch the crowds gather for the
Our Lady Peace concert at the other end of the building.
Something we don't see too often: geared-up and beefed-up security
guards standing sentinel as the volleyball girls strolled
by.
Back on the court against Élans
(Quebec City), the CAPS once again established themselves as a hard
serving, hard hitting team, jumping out to a 12-4 lead. Serving
aces and blocking when needed, the CAPS played a relaxed match and
showed what they were capable of, as they took the match by scores of
25-11 and 25-15.
Next up would be the #2 team from last
year's Eastern Nationals, and a team that the CAPS had previously
battled with this year in Vaudreuil - Libellules (Joliette).
As each team settled into the match, the CAPS hit the ball with
confidence over the shorter Libellules girls, to lead the set 13-10.
However, the girls started showing some nerves, as their serves were
suddenly hitting the net instead of going over! Libellules'
tough jump-serving middle also gave the CAPS trouble on service
reception, before they settled down and dug in to tie the set at 17.
Libellules soon realized they could not hit against the CAPS block so,
being the more experienced team, they adjusted their gameplan. The tip
game, which had given the CAPS trouble throughout the season, was
kicked into action and Libellules efficiently closed out the set
21-25. Digging deep, the CAPS took to the court and showed
'the stuff' of which we know they are made. Serving tough and
never giving up on any ball, the CAPS hit down the line and out of the
middle to keep Libellules off balance. After a huge stuff in the
middle at 12-9, the CAPS took control of the set, winning 25-16. The
third set would decide their fate: win and get a good draw in the
playoffs, lose and face the returning champions, Durham Attack Black.
Determined to control their own destiny, the CAPS came out serving
hard to take the first 2 points before unforced errors put them behind
4-6. Mixing up the offense, the girls tried to tip, but the quick
Libellules team picked up everything that wasn't pounded at them.
At the split, the CAPS found themselves behind, 6-8 which stretched to
6-11 before they started battling back one block and one hit at a
time. With the score at 12-13, it seemed the CAPS would have
enough steam to pull out the match, but unfortunately that was not to
be. The final score gave the victory to Libellules:
13-15.
It was a tired and more subdued CAPS team
that returned to the hotel after a brief Subway stop, to pack
in preparation for an early morning start. The accompanying
mothers and coach celebrated an early Mother's Day with a midnight
feast of Shediac lobster and necessary libations before ending a busy
day.
Championship Sunday saw the CAPS take to
the court against a known opponent, Durham Attack Black.
Determined to give it their all, the team made some great digs against
the Attack hitters. Blocking and serving tough, the CAPS earned
the respect of all who were watching. Unfortunately, just when
the momentum would go the CAPS way, a net call or a tip out of bounds
would kill the rally. Never giving up, right to the end, the
CAPS put up a battle, but came up short 15-25, 16-25 to the eventual
tournament winners. The first trip to a National Championship
tournament for this group of CAPS ended in a tie for 5th place - an
amazing accomplishment for the girls, when you consider their crazy
Quebec 1/Ontario 1 draw.
"The girls should be proud of what they
have done here this weekend," commented Coach Cathy O'Doherty.
"5th in the east is a really great result, but they will also gain
from the experience of what it's like to let one slip away like
this. They had Libellules where they wanted them and let their
nerves get in the way. It happens to the best of them, but I
don't think they'll let it happen again, not at such a big
meet." She added, "There's a big future for this group -
I've had some really special times with them and know that they will
do great things so long as they keep working hard and learning as much
as they did this year. Way to go girls!"
There are a number of people to thank for
making this weekend so special for all: Carole Mongeon and Julie
Kirkpatrick for endless hours of organizing and driving; Rothesay
Netherwood School and Headmaster Paul Kitchen for welcoming half
the team on the way down; the Sanctons in Rothesay for opening your
home to the strangers from Ontario and making us feel so welcome; the
relatives and friends who travelled many hours to boost the cheering
section (from Halifax: Erika's grandmother, Kathleen's aunt, uncle and
cousins: from Saint John, Marijke's godmother: from Ottawa, Isabelle's
grandmother and cousin)- the parents who made the trip & kept
the girls fed and in the right place at the right time-to Tess
Edwards who gave up 5 days of her precious holiday at home to help on
the bench- Coach Cathy O'Doherty for her patience, commitment and
hours devoted to making the team the best they can be- and to the
girls themselves for providing your parents and relatives with some
amazing and entertaining volleyball throughout the season. You are the
reason we do this! Congratulations to all the players for a
season of entertaining and inspiring volleyball.
See you at the banquet in a couple of
weeks!
Results - 15U Girls Canadian East
Open:
Gold: Durham Attack Black (Oshawa,
ON)
Silver: Libellules (Joliette,
QC)
Bronze: Oakville Thunder (ON)
4. Pakmen (Mississauga, ON)
5. National Capitals
5. Collège de Sacrement (Terrebonne,
QC)
5. Celtiques Rouges (Montreal,
QC))
5. Toronto West (Etobicoke,
ON)
