The first weekend of the Ontario Volleyball Championships are officially wrapped!
April 5-7 saw our three 16U teams and one of our 15U teams participate at OC’s in Waterloo, ON. Some great volleyball was played on all three days of the Championship weekend. Here is a quick rundown of the results for each team:
Aquila: Aquila finished the first day of competition with a 2-1 record, placing them in Power Pool AA for Day 2. Another strong day of play saw the team once again go 2-1 which set them up with a mid-morning matchup with 41Six Breeze in the round of 16. An easy first set win, followed by a slip up in set two put the team under some pressure for a third set. The momentum built up by their opponent proved to be too much for Aquila to overcome, dropping the deciding set 15-11 and ending the tournament T-13th in D2T1.
Askari: In a carbon copy tournament to Aquila, Askari swept Day 1 competition, going 3-0 and placing them in Power Pool AA for Day 2. A complete meltdown on Day 2 led to an 0-3 record in Power Pools however because of their solid Day 1, the team did not slip too far down the rankings. Askari took on Kingston Rock in their round of 16 match on Day 3, and after a stellar first set with minimal errors, the wheels fell off in set two. Up 10-7 in the final and deciding set, costly errors and a relentless opponent overpowered the team, dropping the final set 15-13 and ending the 16U season. Final Rank: T-13th in D3T1.
Takoba: A rough day one for the team as they got off to a slow start. On day two, the team started to find their groove and finished the day with a 2-1 record, securing the top spot in D3T2 for day three. After a solid victory in the round of 16 match, the Takoba faced an energetic Northern Chill squad in the quarter-finals. After splitting the first two sets, the team was down by six (8-2) at the changeover. At 14-4, Takoba made a setter change and proceeded to reel off seven points in a row before finally dropping a point and the set 15-11. A valiant effort and comeback fell short, but exciting it was! Final Rank: T-5th in D3T2.
Shujaa: The lone 15U team in the 16U tournament, our Shujaa put on a great show and played some of the best volleyball they have played all season. Ranked 19th out of 20 teams in D4, the ladies jumped out to a 2-1 record on day one, raising their rank to #9 in D4 for day two. Power Pools saw the girls continue their strong play but finishing the day with a 1-2 record. Of note, the team did not lose a set in their two loses on the day by more than two points…they were in every match. On the final day of play, the team cruised to an early round victory only to meet up with the Ottawa Mavericks whom over powered the Shujaa in set one and narrowly got past the team in set two. A great prep tournament for 15U for the team later in the month. Final Rank: 5th in D4T1.
Up Next: Ou 14U teams battle it out at their Ontario Championships from April 11-13, followed by the Isihlangu and Askari taking part in the 17U Ontario Championships from April 14-16. Good luck to all six teams!
