Saints, Phoenix to meet in District 8 volleyball final
St. Benedict advances, to face Resurrection after win over St. David
CAMBRIDGE — The St. Benedict Saints are making a repeat appearance in the championship game of the District 8 senior girls volleyball league.
The Saints, who lost a five-set thriller to the St. David Celtics in last year’s final, turned the tables on the reigning champions Monday with a hard-fought 3-1 (25-10, 25-16, 25-27, 27-25) semifinal victory at St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School. The Resurrection Phoenix will challenge the Saints in Wednesday night’s final, thanks to a 3-1 win (25-9, 16-25, 25-20, 25-16) over the Père-René-de-Galinée Chevalières in Monday’s other playoff semifinal.
“It was really intense and a little nerveracking. But we came through in the end,” said St. Benedict’s Maya Danis, a firstteam all-star last year who believes this year’s team has what it takes to win the school’s first championship since 2010.
“We’re more well-rounded this year and we have a deeper bench. I think it will be a good final and it’s nice that we’re playing at home.”
The Saints received an outstanding performance from Grade 11 star player Angelina Markotic, whose powerful serves, well-placed spikes and strong defence played a significant role in the outcome. The Saints started an even split of first- and second-year seniors, with Taijah Coston, Olivia Benzin and Markotic from Grade 11, and Hope Harnack, Manveer Somal and Danis from Grade 12. Libero Sydney Cook is another second-year player.
St. Benedict looked to be well on its way to a three-set sweep, but the gutsy Celtics had other ideas. St. David was down 24-18 in what could have been the deciding set, but rebounded to take six consecutive points to draw even. St. David standout Maya Sokolowski, a first-team all-star last year, was outstanding from start to finish and played a huge role in the comeback.
“To come back like that, while missing our setter, I’m very proud of our team,” said Sokolowski.
The Celtics played the game without Marley Dowling, an all-star last year who is recovering from an injury. Dowling wasn’t at Monday’s game, but Sokolowski said she was hopeful Dowling would rejoin the team in time for next week’s Central Western Ontario double-A championship in Simcoe.
The winner of Wednesday night’s final will advance to the CWOSSA triple-A championship in Kitchener and Waterloo. The Saints (11-0) scored a 3-1 win over the Phoenix (9-2) in regular-season play.
“We’ll have a good practice tomorrow and be ready for Wednesday,” said Markotic. “We want redemption for last year’s seniors.”
St. Benedict’s junior team will also have a shot at a D8 championship, when they face Père-René in the 6 p.m. curtain-raiser at St. Benedict. The senior final is scheduled for 8 p.m.
The Waterloo County (WCSSAA) playoffs continue Tuesday with Forest Heights Trojans hosting the Sir John A. Macdonald Highlanders, and the Preston Panthers hosting the Huron Heights Huskies.
In junior play, the Jacob Hespeler Hawks visit the Waterloo Vikings and the Cameron Heights Golden Gaels host Forest Heights.
The WCSSAA finals are Thursday night.