PDCI joins teams for OFSAA girls' volleyball championships March 8-10
Posted Mar 4, 2010 By EMC News
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Tweet ThisEMC Sports - Lanark County will be well represented at the OFSAA All Ontario Senior Girls' AA Volleyball Championships on March 8, 9, 10 in Perth and Carleton Place. In an unusual turn of events, two area high school teams are now set to compete in the prestigious event that features the top teams from across the province. St. John Catholic High School, who won the bid to host the Ontario championships three years ago, will now be joined by cross-town rival Perth & District Collegiate.
As host, St. John CHS earned an automatic invitation to the championships, while a fortunate chain of events has now allowed Perth & District Collegiate to attend as well. At the Eastern Ontario Secondary Schools' Association (EOSSA) finals in Carleton Place on Feb. 25, the P.D.C.I. Senior Girls' Volleyball Team, under coach Donna Rumball, fought their way to a silver place finish behind Ecole Secondaire Catholique de Casselman. The Casselman team narrowly defeated Perth 15-13 in the third set to take top spot at EOSSA and gain entry into the provincial OFSAA finals. However, Casselman had already made plans to travel to Hawaii for an international tournament on the same date as OFSAA in March, so P.D.C.I. will now get the chance to take their spot instead. ((St. John Girls' Volleyball Coach and Championship co-convenor Shawn Retty says this 'perfect storm' of events is a bonus for the local community. Retty states, "The competition will certainly be much more interesting now for people to watch, with two of our local schools involved. It's a great opportunity for our local athletes to compete against some of the strongest teams in the province. The girls have their work cut out for them. People will see some high-level volleyball action." ((Retty says local athletes will be a little better prepared for these games than in previous years. He points to the fact that local high school teams have benefited from the recent establishment of two Lanark County Volleyball Clubs under Coach Cliff Woods. The clubs have attracted players from Perth, Carleton Place and Smiths Falls in forming a girls 'under-17' team and an 'under-18' team. Retty says, "These clubs fill a void in the area. Our players used to have to travel to Kingston for this calibre of play."
Mark Brouillard, St. John assistant coach and co-convenor, says the Lanark County clubs have allowed athletes from the local schools to play together throughout the year. Brouillard says, "Our girls are better trained and have more experience as they join their respective school teams. The experience in the county-wide club has given them more confidence. That will certainly help as these young women go up against some very strong teams from other parts of the province at the finals."
As host school for the event, Brouillard says St. John team members have especially worked hard on and off the courts. He added, "Our girls have put a lot of time and effort into planning this competition. They are a dedicated group. And along with the rest of our volunteers, they're working to see that everything is in place for the hundreds of players, coaches and parents who will be visiting our area for this event."
The championships are open to the public on March 9 and 10 with games scheduled at four area high schools, including host St. John C.H.S. as well as Perth & District Collegiate Institute in Perth, Carleton Place High School and Notre Dame Catholic High School in Carleton Place. The OFSAA 'AA' teams will come from schools with populations between 500 to 800 students. Qualifying teams are determined in regional play-downs just one week before the provincial championship. ((Teams arrive for registration and practices on Monday, March 8, with a Championship Banquet for the athletes set for Farrell Hall in Perth that evening. The competition starts on Tuesday, March 9 with round-robin play from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at all four area high school sites. Round-robin games will continue on Wednesday, March 10 at 8 a.m., followed by quarter-final action from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. at all sites.
The action heats up as the top teams then advance to the semifinals from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at St. John C.H.S. and Perth & District Collegiate. The Bronze final takes place at 6 p.m. at Perth & District Collegiate, while the top two finalists meet for the provincial title in the climatic Gold Medal match set for 7 p.m. at St. John C.H.S. All games are open to the public with admission $5 per day, or $8 for a two-day pass.
On-going results will be posted at www.ofsaa.on.ca.
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