January 17, 2006 - The 14U
CAPS travelled to Ajax on January 17th to play in the OVA 14U Girls
Hawkins Cup - Tier 2 (formerly the Challenge Cup).
Typical Canadian weather greeted the team on Saturday morning: high
winds, blowing snow, and cold. After a breakfast of
Ottawa bagels, muffins, and coffee, the girls hit the gym for what
would be a long day.
The first match of the morning was against
an appropriately named team (for this time of year!) - Northern
Chill from Sudbury. Set 1 saw the teams even at 7, with the
Chill taking a slight lead at 16-13, before the CAPS squeaked out a
25-23 win. Coming alive in set 2, which could be called
the 'Set of Serves', the CAPS showed their prowess in this
department, winning the set 25-10.
Next up was Durham Attack Black from
Oshawa. The first set saw Durham take early control, but the
CAPS dug their way back, keeping their eyes on the lines and serving
hard for a 25-17 win. Durham was not to be taken lightly
though, and quickly established set 2 as theirs. With the CAPS
talking at every point, the Attack kept up the pressure and took the
win 15-25, forcing a third set. With both teams wanting the win,
the score evened at 4 before Attack pulled ahead to lead 8-5 at the
split. Hoping a court change might help their focus, the CAPS
battled to tie again at 11s before falling behind 11-14. With
game point hanging in the balance, the CAPS once again served tough to
finish out the game for a 16-14 pressure-packed win.
During a nutritious lunch break, it was
time for back rubs, cards, and chit chat. While chilling out,
the girls were asked to think of each of their teammate's
attributes/what each brings to the team. The results were
positive and a bonding experience for the girls:
Jamie: solid blocks,
solid hits, good serving, and a positive attitude toward the
game
Kayla: great blocks, perfect
sets, and good serving
Alannah: accurate hits, and
she knows where to put the ball on the opponent's
court
Erica: great cheering, good
serving, positive attitude, and good under
pressure
Kristen: good serving, super
hitting and tipping, and back up setter for Kayla
Jessica: consistent serving,
good cross court hits, and good digs
Sarah: great under pressure,
able to serve 'cold', and gets her serves in the
court
Ellie: stays calm, is a great
cheerer, and won the game point
Jessie: good hits,
concentrated serves, and has good game focus
Now that the girls had identified what each
brings to the team, it was time to put it all into practice.
Match 3 was against Toronto Toros. The score
laddered to 9-9 before the CAPS took control of the game and once
again served their way to a commanding 25-10 victory. Not to be
taken down without a fight, the Toros jumped out to an early 8
point lead in set 2 before the strength of the CAPS serving once again
prevailed and the girls took the match 25-14. With the win, the
CAPS secured top spot in Pool A.
The first round of the playoffs brought the
CAPS together with the Titans (Etobicoke). With a
combination of good blocks, tipping and accurate serving, the CAPS
took the lead and went on to win the match 25-17, 25-20.
Facing DRVC Blue (Ashburn) in the
semis, the girls went into the match tired, but determined to give it
their all. Winning the first set 25-15, the CAPS then faced a
revitalized DRVC team who came to play in set 2, and took a 20-25
victory. The third set saw fingers being taped, wrists and backs
iced, as the CAPS looked like they had done battle all day.
Unfortunately it would be DRVC who would head to the gold medal match
with a convincing 5-15 third set win. The CAPS now had to
regroup and prep to fight for the bronze.
Once again, the opponents would be the
Toros. Still nursing their wounds, the CAPS lost the first
set 8-25, but fought through their fatigue to take the second set
25-23. However, the third set and bronze medal would go to
the Toros, who took the match 8-15. However, the CAPS would not
go home without a bright light at the end of their day - their 4th
place finish would bump them up to Tier 1 for the next 14U
tournament!
The girls are now revving up for the Loeb
Fundraiser on January 28th-29th, to help finance the team's trip to
Moncton for the Canadian East Open (Nationals) in May.
They will next see action at the OVA 15U Girls Challenge Cup - Zone
C in Ajax on February 4th.
Results/OVA 14U Girls Hawkins Cup - Tier
2:
Gold: Scarborough Titans Ice
Silver: DRVC Blue (Ashburn)
Bronze: Toronto Toros
4. National Capitals
5. DRVC (Ashburn)
5. Etobicoke Titans
7. Milton Storm
7. Northern Chill (Sudbury)
9. Durham Attack Red (Oshawa)
9. South County Bandits Black (Essex)
9. Toronto West
9. Stratford Stingers Gold
