GU15 Red 5th in 16U Challenge Cup

They came from Barrie, Midland, Collingwood, Port Perry, Toronto, Durham and Peterborough. In all, twelve teams gathered in Peterborough to play the U16 Challenge Cup on January 12. Durham Attack U15 Red was one of two U15 teams participating.

Attack U15 Red faced some unusual circumstances on Saturday. About a third the team was double-booked. However, regardless of ski racing, figure skating, high school tournaments or injury, every U15 Attack Red member managed to get to Peterborough to be part of the team effort. This commitment to the team was obvious on and off the court, and it was a great day!

Pool Play

Match one started out with a fairly relaxed win against the Port Perry Panthers, 25-16. Attack was in good form and played well. The second game raised everyone’s blood pressure a few points when the Panthers began to chip away at a comfortable Durham lead. The game went from 22-14 to a tie game at 24 and then 25 points. With a surge of determination, Attack came through with strong plays and an aggressive kill to take the match with a 27-25 win.

Match two pitted Attack Red 15U against the 2nd ranked Midland Vista. Red played very well and Vista had to fight for every point. Attack put up an excellent effort, however Vista’s strong hitting gave them the advantage and they took the match 19-25, 22-25. Durham had the lead for a good part of the second game, building confidence that Attack can certainly beat Vista in the future.

U15 Red finished 2nd in their pool (not bad for the 10th ranked team!)

Cross Over

Attack Red played solid, strategic volleyball in their third match of the day against Georgian. The match fell to Attack with comfortable final scores of 25-15 in both games. It was nice to see the teamwork and communication on court.

Medal Rounds

Next, Attack Red faced Toronto Aces, the top ranked team. Attack played extremely well, really challenging the Aces. Attack almost took the first game, however, the Aces got lucky on a questionable line call (Attack was up 24-23, and would have won if the call had been in their favour…D’oh!). As a result, Toronto took the win 24-26. Attack continued to play strong volleyball in the second game. Toronto’s defense was very good, especially their blocking. The second game also fell to the Aces, 15-25. Attack Red lost the match, but their spirits were good, and the team was positive moving into the final match for 5th/7th place.

In their final match, U15 Red was fighting for 5th place against the Barrie Elites Blue. The teams were closely matched and play was very competitive. Attack took an early lead, demonstrating good energy and focus. Elite came back to tie the game at 24. Once again, Attack refused to relinquish the game, and fought hard to take the victory 26-24. The second game was another major nail-biter. Durham maintained a slight lead until the Elites pushed ahead at 22-23. This was not a good time to lose the lead, and Attack played brilliantly to tie the match. Elite was not giving up, but Attack prevailed to take the game 28-26. The court erupted with cheers, hugs, and excitement.

All-in-all it was a great day. The team demonstrated solid skills, good teamwork and moments of brilliance. Way to go Attack U15 Red!

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