Cougars cruise to double-a title
Six match victories, all in straight sets. On their way to a zone championship, the College Heights Cougars left no doubt they were No. 1 in north central B.C. this season.
The Cougars clinched the senior girls volleyball zone title in the double-A division Saturday night on their home floor when they defeated the D.P. Todd Trojans 25-12, 25-16, 25-13 in the final of a five-team tournament. The Cougars will now find out how they stack up against the rest of B.C. when they compete at provincials, Nov. 29 to Dec. 1 in Nanaimo.
“I’m excited – it’s going to be so much fun,” said Mercedes Minck, a Grade 12 middle blocker for the Cougars who was chosen as a zone all-star. “We’ve got a solid team.”
Prior to zones, the Cougars were ranked sixth in B.C. This season, they have now won seven of the eight tournaments they have entered.
The zone victory – the second in as many years for the Cougars – was never really in doubt. In the final, they were in full con- trol in the first and third sets and gave the Trojans only a glimmer of hope in the second because of some early unforced errors. Offensively, College Heights was led by Grade 12 power hitter Morgan Samuelson, who ripped a steady stream of kill shots at the Trojans and was later named the tournament’s most valuable player. In support, Minck provided a sprinkling of kills in the middle and Gabby Rainbacher also found holes on the D.P. Todd side of the net.
In the third set, Minck also got on a roll from the service line and delivered 11 consecutive points for the Cougars, who were too well-rounded for the Trojans to overcome.
“It was good,” Samuelson said of the win. “We were swinging hard and were all around just playing smart.”
Cougars setter Courteney Crellin was also picked as a tournament all-star. Other allstar awards went to Tenley Pearce and Kassidy Krewsiuk of the Trojans, Shaylene Syrota of the third-place Nechako Valley Viqueens and Angela Roberts of the Fort Nelson Huskies. Tiana Rossi of the Trojans was a deserving winner of the top libero award.