Chevalières spike their way to CWOSSA
Père-René beats up on Woodland for its biggest victory of the season
CAMBRIDGE — This was more than a first-round playoff game between two teams attempting to keep their seasons alive and advance to the semifinals.
This was a single-shot opportunity for one of the teams to secure a spot at the Central Western Ontario (CWOSSA) single-A senior girls’ volleyball championship in Breslau, the final roadblock on the way to the all-Ontario (OFSAA) championship in Windsor.
With the hard-hitting duo of Lili Paroski and Alliyah Rowe leading the way, the Père-Renéde-Galinée Chevalières recorded their biggest win of the season Wednesday with a 3-0 (25-16, 25-21, 27-25) victory over the Woodland Cavaliers in District 8 playoff action. The Chevalières advance to a semifinal game Monday against the Resurrection Phoenix and secured a spot at the Feb. 22 CWOSSA tournament.
The fun-loving Chevalières, who were smiling and upbeat throughout their hard-fought win, exploded in celebration after Julia Mercier’s bullet serve was too hot for Woodland to handle on the match’s final point.
“We really have this great energy, not to get down even when the game gets hard,” said Paroski, a Grade 12 middle hitter from Kitchener.
“We all do this because we love it and we have a great attitude ... have fun and whatever happens, happens.”
The St. David Celtics scored a 3-0 win over the St. Mary’s Eagles in Wednesday’s other first-round matchup and will play the St. Benedict Saints in their next outing. The two semifinal winners will meet Wednesday (Feb. 14) for the District 8 championship at the home of the highest remaining seed.
The Chevalières were riding a wave of momentum into Wednesday’s game, thanks to winning a 20-team tournament for francophone schools in Sudbury over the weekend.
With a small but vocal crowd cheering them on, the Chevalières jumped out to a 12-3 firstset lead before the Cavaliers took their first timeout. The break did nothing to slow the momentum and Père-René-de-Galinée was never in jeopardy of dropping the first or second set.
The third and final set was a different story.
Woodland standout Nicole Hellinga was at her best in the deciding set and the Cavaliers actually had opportunities to win at 24-23 and 25-24 but were unable to close the deal.
The Chevalières were solid from top to bottom, with Mercier playing a strong two-way game and setter Dilara Sen doing a good job of running the offence.
Libero Gabrielle Kuntz was solid, with Kiana Sheridan, Shelby Robichaud, Maya Sekulich, Marissa Moore, Alina Martinez and Chloe Legare chipping in.
“We might be a small school, we might not have a lot of people, but we represent and we’re proud to go here,” said Paroski, who plays club volleyball in Milton.
Mercier, a co-captain with Sen, said the Chevalières will approach their next game against Resurrection with a nothing to lose attitude, having already achieved their pre-season goal of reaching CWOSSA.
The Phoenix won their regular-season meeting 3-0 but Paroski didn’t play in that game and Mercier was struggling with illness.
“When we came back from the tournament in Sudbury, we felt so good about this school and it really helped our confidence,” said Mercer, a former rep player with the Cambridge Scorpions.
“I think we can really give them (Resurrection) a good run with the way we’re playing now. Anything can happen.”
The CWOSSA single-A championship — for schools with fewer than 500 students — will be contested at Woodland Christian High School.
The Waterloo County (WCSSAA) senior girls’ volleyball league will stage four quarter-final playoff matchups Thursday at Forest Heights, Preston, Huron Heights and Sir John A. Macdonald.