Vanier Towhees Ashley Cousins (#7) blocks shot against Highland while teammate Hollis Roberts (#11) watches closely. Photo by Gerry Fairbrother
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Published: October 07, 2008 3:00 PMThere was plenty of action over the weekend (Oct. 3-4) as G.P. Vanier and Mark Isfeld co-hosted 16 senior girls volleyball teams from across the Island.
Provincially the Vanier Towhees are ranked #4 AAAA after two very successful tournaments: at UBC, where they placed 10th out of 57 teams, and at Malaspina where they finished fifth out of 40 teams. They came into this tournament with high expectations of themselves and were looking to face the top-ranked AAA Timberline Wolves in the final.
In the round-robin section of the tournament the Towhees knocked off Victoria’s Oak Bay, Kwalikum and Highland to go through into the top flight along with Dover Bay (AAA #8), Timberline and Mark Isfeld (AAA #6), who had won their respective pools.
Vanier faced off against Lambrick Park (AAA #7), another Victoria team, and coach Dave Neill saw fit to give everyone a chance to play before the semifinal round. After winning the first game 25-20, some of the bench players came in and gained valuable experience, but wound up on the wrong end of a 25-22 score. Heather Huxham, Ashley Cousins, Julia Garford and Bonnie Knight came on with Danean Neill, Hollis Roberts and alternate Stefani Hansen and stamped their authority on the deciding game with an emphatic 15-6 win.
Meanwhile, Timberline crushed Oak Bay 25-8 and 25-7, Brentwood (AA #8) took out Isfeld in three games, and Dover Bay beat Woodlands in two. This left Vanier with Brentwood in the semifinals while Timberline faced Dover Bay.
The game against Brentwood started slowly for the Towhees and they had a hard time pulling away. Eventually they won the first game 25-20, then they went through another lapse which cost them the second game 23-25. However, they roared back onto the court and manhandled Brentwood 15-2 in what was, to that moment, their most comprehensive and dominant performance of the day.
The final between Vanier and Timberline showcased some of the best volleyball ever seen in the Valley. The two teams were very well matched and they were not firing blanks at each other – the balls were coming fast and furious.
In the first game Timberline got off to the better start and were 14-9 up, largely because they were better up close to the net. Vanier clawed their way back into the game and managed to close the gap before time ran out but lost the first game 25-19.
In the second game Vanier ran out to a 5-1 lead, then stalled, allowing Timberline to catch up. They exchanged points until the score was 12-11 for Timberline, who then broke free and ran up six unanswered points.
It was too much of a gap and in the end the Campbell River crew won 25-17.
“It was outstanding play and both teams are to be congratulated for a hugely entertaining and competitive match,” a tourney spokesperson said.
– Vanier volleyball
