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The GU14
Red team enjoyed an eggceptional Easter weekend in Joliette, Quebec on April 6
and 7. Demonstrating strong teamwork and strategy, the girls played well
all weekend to finish 4th out of 26 teams.
The Durham
Attack contingent of players and families had a great time. Joliette is a
charming town, and the tournament was exciting and well organized.
Players, coaches, parents and siblings took advantage of the social time offered
by the 2 day tournament, including group meals, hospitality suites, x-box games
and makeovers.
Pool Play
Attack U14
Red won all 4 matches to finish 1st in their pool. The first match against
Libellules Blanches de Joliette was competitive and exciting. Durham
Attack maintained the lead and control of the court to win 25-21, 25-20.
The second match pitted Attack Red against the Citadins de Vaudreuil. Game
1 was very close. Attack took a comfortable early lead, but the Citadins
fought back hard to gain a 2 point advantage (20-22). With a burst of
skill and determination, U14 Red came from behind to win 25-22. The
Citadins surrendered the match to Durham Attack in the second game (25-17).
The victory was marred by a head injury scare. One of our team members
whacked her head on the floor during a spectacular dig. Fortunately, there
was a doctor on site who confirmed that there was no concussion, and she was
able to play the next day.
In Match 3 Attack Red faced the highly ranked Cyclones de Lachanaie. The
Cyclones were a tough team to beat. Many of the rallies were spectacular
and the spectators were treated to some amazing volleyball. Attack Red
weathered the storm through superior serving and minimal errors to win 25-19 in
the first game. The second game the Cyclones prevailed 21-25, but Attack
took the match (pool play was only 2 games with score differential determining
the winner).
The final pool play match with the Celtiques Blanches de Montreal fell easily to
U14 Red, 25-6 and 25-12.
Pool Play
The first game of the cross over match against the Celtiques Blues de Montreal
was an absolute nail-biter. The score was neck-in-neck with Attack
fighting hard for every point, to finally take the game 25-22. The
spectators managed to get a cardio workout just sitting on the bench and one of
the parents coined the term “spectator sweat”! The teams had the added
pressure of a television camera recording the game. The second game was
much more comfortable, with U14 Red winning 25-15.
Semi-Finals
Attack was thrilled to move on to the semi-finals. However, the girls were
slated to face the strongest team at the tournament, the Libellules bleues de
Joliette (who went on to win gold). The Libellules had annihilated every
team they played, and Attack was a bit anxious. The first game, Attack
struggled, but put up a good fight to a final score of 13-25. The second game,
GU14 Red had difficulty with Libellules killer serves and excellent hits, and
lost 4-25. The team was disappointed, but it was a great learning
experience to play such a strong team.
Bronze Match
Durham Attack Red went on to play Les Rafales de l’Abitibi for the bronze medal.
The teams were well matched and play was very competitive. Attack played
really well, but the Rafales took the match (21-25, 20-25), placing Durham
Attack 4th.
Overall, the team was very happy with their performance in Joliette.
Attack Red just keeps getting stronger, and is looking forward to the Ontario
provincials in Whitby. Congratulations girls!
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