16U Girls Purple Win Third Consecutive Gold Medal
This past weekend in Scarborough the 16U Girls Purple team took home the Gold in the MacGregor Cup Premier Division, now locking a coveted first placed ranking in the province. The girls have been working hard all season having already earned 2 gold medals from the 16U Provincial Cup West Championship tournament and the 17U Trillium event.
They finished up their day going undefeated in match play as they beat DRVC 25-20/25-14 for the gold. Marisa Mota successfully executed a varied offence to middle hitters Candice Scott and right side hitter Shannon Lodoen who both consistently put the ball away. Left handed Lodoen saw success with both her front and back row attacks while Scott outsmarted the DRVC defence with her back slide kills. Celine Sukkel passed well during the match and dug up several balls in her libero duty.
The girls started out their day facing a tough serving Toronto West team, but were able to seal the win with scores of 25-16/25-19. Sydney Krizmanich was ruthless with her back and front row attacks and was precise in the passing department while Katie McLay's well positioned defence saw her dig up numerous balls. The next pool play match saw the girls face the eventual silver medalists DRVC where they handily took the match 25-15/25-16. Setter Robyn Misener frustrated her competitors while running an effective, fast offence to hitters Nova Bozinoski and Shannon Neville. Bozinoski's versatility saw her hammer several balls from both the middle and left side positions while Neville's quick transition allowed her to find the holes for numerous quick attacks.
After clinching pool play, the Predators earned a bye to the quarter finals where they outmatched a determined Riverside Rage squad 25-14/25-11. Megan McComb was strong in her libero position delivering consistent passes and digs while Lodoen once again executed her right side attacks with laser focus. Advancing to the semi-finals, the Predators saw their toughest competition of the day coming up against the very strong Durham Attack team. The girls struggled in the first game as Durham's offence was much quicker than previous competitors. After regrouping for the second and third sets, the girls came out strong defensively and frustrated the fast attacking Durham team eventually winning the match 15-25/ 25-23/15-12. Left side hitter Katie McLay delivered some well placed kills and executed a smart back row defense, digging up numerous Durham attempts. 'Middle Blocking Cousins' Scott and Neville both played a key role in the win by consistently shutting down their opponents with effective blocking, while Misener delivered a smart float serve that resulted in some well timed ACEs. Mota 'quarter-backed' the offence with precision setting, while Bozinoski's and Krizmanich's all round play helped to seal the semi-final victory.'
You'll find the girls in Stratford January 23rd where they will compete in the 17U West Championship tournament. They are also looking forward to competing in Chicago in February and then traveling south to 'Becky Country' (Kentucky) during spring break.
Go Preds Go!
