FORMIDABLE FOE
The CEC Cougars entertained Citadel Phoenix on Sunday and gave the visitors a good
ght for three quarters.
TRURO, N.S. –A strong showing by the Cobequid Cougars resulted in a second-place finish at the 14th annual Wall of Fame Cup high school boys volleyball tournament last weekend in Charlottetown.
The Cougars lost a tough three-set match to the Three Oaks Axemen (25-18, 18-25, 15-13) in the final.
CEC finished first in its pool – for the fifth consecutive tournament – with a three-set loss to Colonel Gray Colonels (2025, 25-23, 9-15) and a straightset win over Bluefield (25-18, 25-12).
In playoff semifinal action, CEC defeated Bluefield again 25-17, 26-24.
Cobequid was led by Noah Boudreau (nine service points, 81 per cent passing, 19 defensive digs, and 33 kills), Zach Morris (49 per cent offensive serving, 3.5 block points, 65 per cent kill efficiency), Aiden Fitzpatrick (24 perfect passes, 7.5 dig to error ratio), Nikolas Sante (four stuff blocks), Nick White (43 digs) and Nikolai Foerster (52 per cent offensive serving). Setter Nick White delivered 89 assists, accounting for a season-high team hitting average of 0.456.
Next up for the Cougars is the 36th annual Westisle Wolverine Classic.
GIRLS
Both CEC varsity and junior varsity teams lost in the quarter-finals of the Mount Saint Vincent University high school tournament.
The varsity girls lost to Parkview in three sets (16-25, 28-26, 10-15), while the JV girls lost two straight to Horton.
The varsity girls finished second in their pool with a 2-1 record. They had a straight-set win over Sir John A (25-13, 25-14), a three-set win over SAERC (20-25, 25-19, 15-7) and a close two-set loss to Halifax West (24-26, 24-26). The varsity Cougars were ranked fourth going into the playoffs. The JV girls finished first in their pool with straight-set wins over Horton and Spirit River, Alta., and a three-set win over Citadel. After round-robin play, they were ranked second going into the playoffs.
The varsity team has played the past two weekends without the services of three players from their starting lineup. Hannah Huntley, the Cougar’s outstanding left-side hitter, has a lower leg injury, while setter Abbie Archibald is recovering from a concussion which occurred on the first evening of play in the Dalhousie Invitational. Starting right-side hitter Molly Marquis has a sprained ankle. All three players are expected to return this weekend when both CEC teams travel to Antigonish for the Mcdonald’s Golden Arches Invitational Tournament.
Despite the loss of these key players, the remaining seven players – Emma Shive, Marlee Mcquillan, Sydney Davidson, Paige Crosby, Sarah Garrett, Erin Reeves and Ava Martin – have been very competitive with many of the top teams in the province. They have had close two-set matches with both Halifax West (24-26, 24-26) and J. L. Ilsley (25-27, 21-25), lost in three sets to Charlottetown Rural, Citadel and Parkview, and had a straight-set win over Sir John A and a three-set win over Lockview.