April 29-30, 2006 - Pop
Quiz:
How long does it take to drive from
Ottawa to London, ON?
a)
6.5 hours - if you leave at 3pm and miss Toronto traffic
b)
11 hours - if you stop at Yorkdale Mall
c)
5.25 hours - if you leave late and fly under the radar
d)
Too long
e)
All of the above
What is the best strategy to use so you
don't have to sleep on the sofa-bed?
a)
Rock-Paper-Scissors
b)
First-come, first-served
c)
A calm discussion with everybody saying "I don't
mind"
d)
Run to the room, jump in one bed and pretend you're asleep
while
your room-mates negotiate who gets the second
bed
e)
All of the above
Friday, April 28th dawned, and with it came
one last drive (for this season) down the 401: this time to the OVA
15U Girls Tier 1 Ontario Championships held in London.
Departure times varied to accommodate the schedules of the numerous
parents who chose to drive, watch and cheer the girls during the
two-day event. The Quality Suites were to be our home for
the weekend, with Fanshawe College as the scene of the action.
The girls were looking forward to redeeming themselves in these gyms,
as their previous performance at Fanshawe knocked them out of Tier 1,
forcing them to win at Tier 2 and re-enter as the #13 seed for this
competition.
Saturday's round robin play pitted the CAPS
against the top seed in their pool, Aurora Storm Typhoon (4th
seed). Hitting the court with all cylinders firing, the CAPS'
serving helped give them an early 4-0 lead. Strong, well-placed
hits and setter dumps had the Storm on their heels until 12-7 when
their serving kicked in, giving the CAPS some trouble of their own.
The score tied at 14, 19 and 21 before the CAPS pulled out the win,
25-22. The second set saw more bullet serves and middle hits
from the CAPS, but this time the team was also successful in their
blocking of key Storm players. The match went to the CAPS in a
25-19 second set victory.
After a snack break in the lovely Fanshawe
cafeteria (who knew?), the CAPS took to the court against the 5th
seed, Georgetown Impact. Struggling with passing the
tough serves, the CAPS suddenly found themselves behind 1-8. A
couple of substitutions settled the team down, as they battled back
from an outrageous 2-14 deficit! With strong serving of their
own, the CAPS pulled to within 3, but could not come any closer, as
the Impact took the first set, 21-25. With a renewed focus, the
CAPS started the second set with more consistent play and a 3-1 lead
of their own. Big blocks brought loud cheers from the stands, as
the CAPS also pounded the ball from both wings. This was
exciting volleyball to watch, as the score tied at 21. Impact
gave the CAPS a scare, taking a 23-21 lead, but the girls fought back
with strategic tips that kept the opponent's defense off-stride.
The score tied at 23 then laddered up, as both teams showed they
wanted the win. When the dust had settled however, the Impact
had taken the set and match by a score of 28-30.
A team meeting with Coach O'Doherty
following the match helped the girls evaluate their play and refocus
on their objectives. Lunch and some fresh air lightened the mood
before the team returned to the gym to face Scarborough Titans
(12th seed). The CAPS' game of strong serving and hitting kept
their opponents off stride, as the CAPS took the match in straight
sets: 25-15, 25-19. With a 2-1 record in pool play, the CAPS
would be in a 3-way tie for first place in Pool D. While the
tie-breaking procedure was enacted, coaches, players and supporters of
the three teams involved crowded around the OVA representative.
Then he announced: 1st place Pool D to the National
Capitals!
After another break to rest and snack, the
team took to the court with renewed energy. The day's
cross-over matchup was against the 4th place team from Pool B,
Waterdown Raiders. Looking like a team with a mission, the
CAPS pounded the ball at every chance. Big blocks in the middle,
and hustle on defense gave the CAPS the match: 25-8, 25-15. This
guaranteed the CAPS a Top 8 finish and the opportunity to play for a
medal on "Championship Sunday".
Tournaments are not all about competition,
so on Saturday night the CAPS 15U team and parents bonded over dinner
at Crabby Joe's. There were many tired players (maybe a
late night on Friday?) and pictures taken at one table, while the
parents enjoyed a nice meal and many laughs with Coach Cathy and the
assistant for the weekend, her daughter and CAPS alum Meghan
O'Doherty of the York University Lions. After making
sure everybody was back in their rooms, it was lights-out on a
successful first day.
Sunday morning came maybe a little too
early for some, but the team seemed ready for another dramatic day.
After a quick breakfast (with some of our opponents!), the team packed
up and headed to the gym for the OVA Award of Excellence
ceremony. The CAPS' award recipient for their play at the 15U
age division was Laura Edwards, one of the team's
co-captains. Laura has led the team this year with her positive
support of the new players, intimidation of opponents and
'get-the-job-done' work ethic. Congratulations
Laura!
Warming up for their quarter-final match
against Niagara Rapids, the CAPS looked ready to play.
Communicating loudly on the court, the team served strong and were
rewarded with a number of first set aces. The middle was quickly
established, then the setters distributed the ball to the outside
hitters, who also pounded hard. The match ended with a decisive
CAPS win: 25-9, 25-14. The girls, their coaches and parents were
ecstatic - a Top 4 finish at Provincials!
A lunch and homework break also gave the
girls a chance to enjoy the sunshine and even more volleyball outside
on the grass. They knew they were faced with a big challenge in
the semi-final against the top seeded Durham Attack
Black. Taking to the court with confidence, the CAPS
faced serves that were a little harder, an offense that was a little
faster, and a defense that picked up what the CAPS hit or tipped at
them. The first set was a disappointing 9-25 loss, but the girls
didn't get down. Taking a breather, they took to the court and
played hard. A 5-2 early lead gave the CAPS confidence in their
hitting, but the tricky Attack service game brought them back to tie
the score at 7. Though the CAPS hit well against the big block
and served well enough to deny the Attack time to setup much of their
run-and-gun offense, the team went down to defeat 17-25 and would have
to be happy with a battle for the bronze.
Cathy O'Doherty was not unhappy with the
result against Attack. "Set 1 was a bit of a mess, but the
girls adjusted and successfully slowed down their fancy offense with a
tough service game and aggressive, smart play at the net. We
just made too many mistakes on serve-receive." She added,
"If you compare this match to our last bout with Durham in Stratford,
it's clear that our girls have closed the gap
considerably."
Regrouping quickly, the CAPS faced the #3
seed in the bronze medal match, Waterloo Tigers Black. As
we have seen many times this season, strong serving gave the CAPS a
4-0 early lead. Both teams hit hard and blocked well, but the
CAPS' outside hitting dominated the first set giving them a 25-19
win. At the beginning of the second set, the CAPS serve-receive
faltered, giving the Tigers a 4-10 lead. Though the CAPS showed
moments of brilliance in their blocking, they never got into their
rhythm and the Tigers came away with a second set win: 16-25.
The third set started slow for the girls, as once again they struggled
with serve-receive and dropped behind 5-8 at the split. However,
the change in sides seemed to give them extra energy as they once
again took control with their hitting and tipping to tie the game at
10. But the Tigers also revved it up a notch and forced the CAPS
to make errors, as they pulled out the set win: 10-15. Today the
bronze this day would go to the Tigers, with the CAPS receiving 4th
place medals.
"I am really proud of what the girls
accomplished here this weekend," commented Coach Cathy.
"Most everyone was aware that our girls were not a Tier 2 team, but
they still had to do it - they had to claw their way up in the
heat of a big tournament and prove it to themselves and to everyone
else. Sure, it would have been nice to have taken the bronze,
but tough losses are a big part of future victories. These kids
are young and this'll rev up their engines for next
season!"
Congratulations to the girls for giving it
their all and for providing their supporters with 2 days of exciting
volleyball. You should all be very proud of your accomplishments
this year and your Top 4 finish at Provincials!
Thank you once again to Coach Cathy for her
time, patience and commitment to this team. Thanks also to
Meghan for her assistance with the team, to the parents for driving,
shopping (groceries of course!) and cheering, and to the relatives
(Jorie's grandmothers) and siblings (Isabelle's brother, Lauren's
sister, Laura's brother and sisters) who came out to watch and support
the girls and who were rewarded with an amazing display of
athleticism.
Next up: Volleyball Canada's Canadian
East Open - 14U/15U/16U in Moncton, NB from May 12th to
14th. Good luck girls as you travel
east to represent the National Capitals and
Ontario.
If you answered "e" to the Pop Quiz...
congrats! You are a tried and true supporter of the CAPS 15U
team!
Results/OVA 15U Girls Tier 1 Ontario
Championships:
Gold: Durham Attack Black
(Oshawa)
Silver: Forest City Green
(London)
Bronze: Waterloo Tigers Black
4. National Capitals
5. Georgetown Impact
6. Aurora Storm Typhoon
7. Pakmen (Mississauaga)
8. Niagara Rapids (St. Catharines)
9. DRVC (Ashburn)
9. Waterloo Tigers White
11. Scarborough Titans
11. Waterdown Raiders
13. Etobicoke Titans
13. Durham Attack Red (Oshawa)
15. Kingston Pegasus
15. Burlington Blaze
