November 11, 2006 -  The rain followed us to Vaudreuilon Saturday, where we met up with several families for coffee and muffins at the local 'Ortons de Tim.  At the VQ Omnium de l'automne 18 ans et moins, we met coach Matt (Hoey) crutching his way up the corridor, the victim of an unfortunate weight room accident.  As he changed his dressing someone asked, "When the weight hit your foot, did you call for an ambulance or a toe truck?" (insert groan here).

The complex at École de la cité des Jeunes à Vaudreuil houses six separate gymnasiums and, from the loud, reverberating, warm-up cheering, it was clearly evident that we were back in Quebec.  There were 20 teams altogether, only a few of which were from the 17U age group.

The 17U CAPS began the tournament with a match against les Élans de Quebec.  In the first set our girls played tentatively and made too many uncharacteristic errors, giving points away by net faults and incomplete hits and by not calling for the ball.  Unfortunately the second game wasn't any better.  The CAPS seemed to lack the spirit and drive needed to give their opponents a fair fight.  With only two teams out of five advancing in each pool, the girls needed to do some soul-searching, and soon.

After a snack, the girls received a motivational chat from Greg Joy (Sarah's dad).  It seemed to do the trick as the girls came out with a rekindled fire for their second match against Lynx de la Rive-Sud.  The first set was fairly even for the  opening half, then the CAPS pulled away, winning twice actually, when a game point had to be questioningly replayed.  Victoire 25-19.  Playing with spunk, the girls came out firing, pulling steadily away until, at 24-17, they stalled a bit, then savoured their second win at 25-22.

For their third match the girls began with confidence, especially after watching the 18U CAPS demolish some of their opponents a little earlier on.  Libellules de Joliette proved a very even opponent, capitalizing on our girls' mental lapses and eventually prevailing 25-18.  Ebb and flow, ebb and flow, the second game began well as Gabby smacked some killer hits and Becky made some outstanding digs.  Tied at 11, all-of-a-sudden our girls started playing back on their heels as the two outside hitters from the Libellules consistently powered through our blocks.  In a blink, the score was 21-13 for them and too late to mount a comeback. The game ended on a sour note as a disputed call spoiled any momentum our girls could mount.

The fourth and ultimately, final match was played against Les Aigles du College Jean-Eudes.  Gina, with a sore shoulder, kept Haley (chest infection) company on the bench as the CAPS tried to relocate the magic.  But the spirit just wasn't there and the girls were defeated in both games.

Thanks always to both Matt and Jess, for their patience and guidance, and to all the parents for making the trip and bringing such nutritious snacks.  Here's looking forward to Cambridge next weekend with a new attitude and renewed confidence.  Go get 'em, girls!