January 28, 2006 - The 16U CAPS made the trek to U of T Scarborough on January 28th  for the OVA 16U Challenge Cup/Tier 1.  Coach Harris was back from his success in Philadelphia but the team was a bit short, as only nine players made the trip.  The 4 court layout at U of T meant fewer matches and a tournament scheduled to last only 7 hours.

Play began with a match versus perennially tough opponent, DRVC (Ashburn).  They lived up to their 2nd seed placing by handing us 15-25 and 17-25 losses.  The other team in the pool was ACTS Elites from Orangeville.  Our CAPS were getting back on track and put up a good fight through some long rallies, with the winning scores in this match being 25-17 and 25-20.  These were the team's first wins of 2006 and assured them a 2nd place pool finish.

After a nice lunch break, the girls took on the 3rd ranked team in the tournament, the Tigers (Waterloo).  The Tigers were quick and tough and our CAPS went down in back-to-back losses, 14-25 and 17-25.  After another break and a team meeting, it was onto the final game of the day, another matchup versus ACTS Elites.  This was an important match for both teams as a loss meant relegation to Tier 2 for the next tournament.  The CAPS came out organized and strong, playing better than they had for over a month.  The opponents put up a good fight, with key blocks and hits, but the girls matched them throughout with better digs, sets and hits.  The first set ended at 25-19 in favour of the CAPS.  In the second set, the CAPS had command of the game for awhile, then the momentum switched, and the Elites carried themselves through for a 20-25 win.  So it was onto the third set.  The CAPS continued their excellent play, pressuring Elites at every point and working to a well-earned 15-12 win to finish the tournament in 9th place.

Overall, the day gave the 16U CAPS a chance to size up the Tier 1 competition.  With the pressure of exams it's been tough for the girls to stay focused, but they finished the tournament with a show of skill and confidence that will carry them confidently into the next tournament.

Many thanks to the Hofmann and Mostert families for providing billet spaces for the team, to the parents for the great lunch, the driving and the cheers.  The 16U CAPS' next tournament is the OVA 17U Bugarski Cup/Tier 2, in Whitby on February 11th.