Junior Blue Bombers earn TVRA Southeast girls volleyball title

CASS libero Morgan Ferreira makes a solid first pass. (Jeff Tribe Photo)

Jeff Tribe, Echo Correspondent

The Ingersoll DCI junior Blue Bombers are headed into the Western Ontario Secondary Schools Athletics Association AA girls volleyball championships as the top Thames Valley Regional Athletics Southeast seed.

The Blue Bombers, who finished regular season play with a 6-2 won-lost record, defeated the 5- 3 St. Thomas Parkside Colts in the championship final on Wednesday, Feb. 18 at St. Thomas Parkside. IDCI had eliminated the Woodstock College Avenue Knights in semi-final play earlier that day. The sixth-seeded 4-4 Knights reached that point by upsetting the 6-2 Woodstock St. Mary’s Warriors by two points in a fifth and deciding set in quarter-final action Thursday, Feb. 12 at St. Mary’s.

The Colts, taking advantage of home court provided by their senior counterparts’ first-place finish and resultant right to host TVRA Southeast finals, upset the Woodstock CI Red Devils in the other semi.

Despite finishing 8-0 in the regular season, WCI was chasing the entire match, according to WCI coach Jeff Melanson. Typically, the Red Devils took advantage of the other team’s errors, but were not in synch on this day.

“The scores were close, we were never out of it, but we were never in the driver’s seat.”

The Blue Bombers were scheduled to open WOSSAA AA semi-final playdowns on Wednesday, Feb. 25, against the London South Collegiate Institute Lions at 9:30 a.m. Parkside was scheduled to open against the winner from Huron-Perth.

WOSSAA AA Senior

Familiarity with the St. Thomas Parkside Stampeders has bred respect, rather than contempt, among the Woodstock CI Red Devils.

“They’re a lovely team,” credited coach Pauline Schubert following a loss in the Thames Valley Regional Athletics (TVRA) Southeast senior girls volleyball championship Wednesday, Feb. 18 at Parkside. “It’s an enjoyable game, regardless of who wins.”

Schubert’s generosity was in part due to the quality competition against a strong team they enjoy playing with. But the fact both finalists had already qualified for Western Ontario Secondary School Athletics Association AA championships on Wednesday, Feb. 25, back at Parkside might also have been a factor.

“They are so excited,” said Schubert.

The Red Devils effectively qualified for WOSSAA with a five-set comeback from the brink of elimination earlier that day against the Lord Dorchester Beavers. Working through a tall and powerful middle hitter, the Beavers took set one by a 25-10 margin, getting within a set of victory with a 26-24 win in the second set. Although on the wrong end of a tough two-point decision, Schubert called the set the match’s turning point, an indication that in-game adjustments were working.

“We needed to keep the ball away from her. I know we lost, but it just showed what we had to do was working. We just had to be cleaner about it.”

WCI took the third set by a 25-15 margin, the fourth 25-18 and gutted out a 15-11 win in the fifth and deciding finale.

The Red Devils began the TVRA Southeast playoffs at home to the Woodstock College Avenue Knights on Thursday, Feb. 12. The Knights opened strongly, pushing WCI through a tight 25-21 win, before the Red Devils wrapped up the match victory with subsequent 25-15 and 25-13 decisions.

“Overall, our passing was great,” said CASS’s Emily Pye of their first set. “Last time it was in the ceiling every time.”

“Today was a good game,” added Knight libero Morgan Ferreira, crediting WCI for keeping going.

Although disappointed with the end of their season, both agreed it had been a good one, enjoyed by a ‘really good group of girls to play with’ and a victory in the Glendale tournament.

“Definitely did enjoy that part,” said Ferreira.

The Knights had started strongly agreed WCI’s MJ Rabe.

“We definitely settled down in the second set,” said setter Ava Bickell. “It was a lot better.”

The Red Devils will open their WOSSAA AA draw against the Huron-Perth winner, anticipated to be Stratford St. Mike’s.

“They are a good team, we’ll have to bring our A game for sure,” said Schubert.

Parkside, which defeated Tillsonburg Glendale and the Ingersoll DCI Blue Bombers to advance to WOSSAA, opens against London South.

“We may get another crack at Parkside at WOSSAA, which would be awesome,” Schubert concluded.