October 29, 2005 - The
National Capitals 15U girls traveled to Trenton this past weekend to
'play up' an age category to the OVA 16U Girls Provincial
Cup. Scheduled to play their first match at 9:00AM, 8 of the
girls opted to travel Friday night and billeted together with their
coach and 3 parents. Early morning starts for the remainder of
the team brought all 12 girls together at the gym where they were
ready to take the court and work off any first-tournament
jitters.
After taking the helm this year, Coach
Cathy O'Doherty had yet to see these 9 returning CAPS and 3 newcomers
play together. Over the course of the day, she would try
different combinations of players as she evaluated each girl's
strengths and weaknesses in game situations - they certainly gave her
much to look forward to in the months ahead!
The girls' first opponents of the day
were Ottawa's Mavericks. Fighting the expected nerves
(everybody wants to impress a "new" coach), the girls quickly
settled into a confident rhythm of strong serving and passing, and
pushed past the Mavericks by scores of 25-18 and
25-17.
Their second matchup saw the CAPS take
on Phénix from Prescott-Russell, a spirited (and loud) team
who were not to be taken lightly. Phénix jumped out to an
early lead, but the CAPS battled back to 8-8 before succumbing to the
opponents' quick middle attack game, 25-17. The second set saw
some impressive digs, as time and again the long rallies produced hard
attacks from both sides. However, the end result was the same:
17-25 Phénix.
The third match of pool play saw the CAPS
take on Pegasus from Kingston. Again, strong serving
carried the match, even when the defense faltered, as the CAPS won in
straight sets: 25-17, 25-18, securing 2nd place in their
pool.
The first round of playoff action showed
what this team is capable of - a diverse attack with strong hitting
from outside as well as the middle. With the host team,
Astros de Marc Garneau as the opposition, the girls proved their
tournament jitters were well behind them, as they served and hit their
way to a 25-17, 25-12 straight sets victory and a spot in the final
4.
Then came the news no one wanted to hear -
the girls would have to challenge their clubmates, the 16U
CAPS, for the right to play for gold. With mixed emotions
(poor Lauren Carter played all last season with this year's 16Us)
and a strange sense of déja-vu (this was the same semi-final
match-up as in last season's Provincial Cup), the girls focused on
simply playing as best they could, and did their best not to concern
themselves with the outcome. Whatever they did and however they
prepared, it worked.
The match began in a sea of black jerseys
with pink and blue 'spinners' - even the fans of the other teams
could sense that this might be the match of the day. So it
began, and before the 16Us knew what had happened to them, the younger
girls had jumped out to a 5-0 lead. They rode that momentum,
playing inspired volleyball, never giving up and making incredible
digs to set up their strong attacks. The first set ended in a
somewhat startling 25-15 15U victory.
However, the 16Us were not about to let
their younger clubmates out of the match without a little retribution,
as they came roaring back in the second set to a 4-0 lead of their
own. With a couple of service aces from the 16Us, the 15Us
quickly adjusted their receive game, but to no avail. Two
resounding kills from Kaylin Mostert in the middle revved up the 16U
team, and they rolled from there to a convincing 25-10 set victory.
On to the deciding set...
Showing maturity and poise, the 15Us
didn't let the big Set 2 loss distract them from their goal of just
doing the very best that they could. They ratcheted up their
blocking and defense - digging balls that at the beginning of the day
would have hit the floor. At the split, the 15Us were ahead
8-3. A few unforced errors saw the 16Us come back to within 2
points at 10-8, but with two timely blocks from the middle, the 15Us
forged ahead and prevailed for a memorable 15-11 victory, securing
their ticket to the gold medal final.
"The improvement in our play from the
beginning of the tournament to that CAPS match is remarkable.
These girls have gone from being a team that struggled with the basics
of positioning and free ball to a quick, skilled and confident group,
determined to play up to their potential. They're riding a
pretty steep learning curve today," reflected Coach O'Doherty, as
the team took a breath before their big rematch with Phénix de
Prescott Russell for gold.
The CAPS dove right into the gold medal
match, once again relying on their serving and blocking to keep
Phénix from establishing their quick attack game. With amazing
passing and defensive bravery being displayed on both sides, the score
laddered up with both teams receiving enthusiastic support from their
bench and fans. At the end of the set (oxygen, please), the CAPS
were once again victorious, 32-30.
The second set brought more of the same
inspired volleyball, as the CAPS searched out open spots, hitting
smartly out of the middle and tipping when necessary.
Unfortunately, an early 2 point deficit was never made up and the CAPS
lost Set 2 by a very close score of 24-26.
The third set saw Phénix roar out of the
blocks to a commanding 0-4 lead. Maintaining their poise, the
CAPS pounded balls cross-court and fought back to take the lead at the
split, 8-5. Not to be outdone, Phénix showed some of
their own resilience and tied the score up again at 10. With one
last determined push, the CAPS dug, served and pounded their way to a
15-11, 2-1 gold medal match victory, and we all took a moment to relax
and recover!
After the final, the feelings of the girls
were summed up by their captains: "This is so awesome! The
whole team has clicked from Day One. We've really gelled as a
team." When asked her impressions of her first OVA
tournament, one of the newer CAPS commented: "I am so lucky to start
out with such a great coach and great group of girls. We had so
much fun out here today."
Coach O'Doherty added: "I was most
impressed with the focus, confidence and maturity of such a young
group of players. Their attitude on and off the court made me a
very proud coach in Trenton. It was a very special
day."
But the most important lesson learned at
this tournament was graciousness in the face of disappointment.
The 16U girls and their coaches showed real class and set a great
example with their enthusiastic support of the 15U girls on their big
day. A big 'Thank You' goes out to all the 16U CAPS from
their mates and all the parents at 15U!
With the tournament win, the 15U CAPS now
enter 16U Tier 1 level competition, where things will certainly not
get any easier. Their next action will be seen at the
OVA 15U Girls Provincial Cup in Madoc on November
12th.
Results/OVA 16U Girls Provincial Cup -
Zone F
Gold: National Capitals
15U
Silver: Phénix de
Prescott-Russell
Bronze: National Capitals
16U
4. Mavericks Black Jacks (Ottawa)
5. Astros de Marc-Garneau (Trenton)
5. Pegasus Black (Kingston)
5. Pegasus Flames (Kingston)
5. Northumberland Breakers (Cobourg)
Quarter-finals:
Mavericks def. Pegasus Black (25-14,
25-19)
Phénix def. Breakers (25-11, 26-24)
Capitals 16U def. Pegasus Flames (25-15, 25-19)
Capitals 15U def. Astro (25-17,
25-12,)
Semi-finals:
Phénix def. Maverick (25-12,
25-16)
Capitals 15U def. Capitals 16U (25-15,
10-25, 15-11)
Bronze:
Capitals 16U def. Mavericks (25-15,
25-16)
Gold:
Capitals 15U def. Phénix (32-20, 24-26,
15-11)
