The Comox Valley Strikers 16U girls volleyball team took their 'A' game to the Provincials and opened the tournament with some strong playing to demonstrate great improvement.
The Strikers kicked off with a tight match against Altruista where the lead changed several times in two quick sets. Madi Gold made some great kills from the backcourt as well as the net. Keziah Magor dove heroically several times to save points for the Strikers. After a tight first-set loss (23-25) the Strikers battled hard in set two but again came up short (19-25).
The remainder of pool play saw the Strikers capitalize with kills and seven service points from Katinka Neumann alone in set two where they came away with a 25-18 win. Gold also put together a string of nine serves in set three with some great kills from Jessica MacLean to secure a win in match two against the CBVC Warriors.
Match three put the Strikers against the Coquitlam Ducks where they took charge and swept the match in two sets (25-18 and 25-17). Emily Novak came through with some kills at the net as did Emma Hill. Teryn Bates capitalized on key moments with points from the service line as well as adding some surprise tips at the net. MacLean, Neumann and Magor were also responsible for a run of serves in these games, proving their hard work in practices has paid off.
In the cross-over match Sunday the Strikers put up a fight but unfortunately missed some pivotal points in the first set, dropping it 17-25 to CVS.
Despite MacLean putting up seven serves in a row in set two, unforced errors crept in to bring the Strikers down 16-25, leaving the team to play for ninth place against Synergy.
The match was close with the teams trading leads and serve control almost every point in both sets. Attacks from Sam Regehr, Novak, Neumann and Gold kept the team alive in set one where the Synergy just caught the team with a 25-21 win. In set two Madison Dueck hustled to set everything and played the ball over the net in surprise attacks several times. Libero Lauren Rensvold dove for several passes in an attempt to keep the Strikers from defeat in their final match, but to no avail as the final point played out to end the match and set 25-22 in Synergy’s favour.
The team played well and certainly improved their game over the season, working on all aspects of team and individual skills to bring their best to the final tournament, which they did.
Everyone should be proud of their diligence and hard work put in over a long season of play. Many thanks to coach Donna Baydock for her time and dedication to the team over this season.
– Strikers 16U Girls Volleyball