Height doesn't measure heart, but it certainly helps.
That was the case Monday night during the SWOSSAA Senior Girls AAA Volleyball Championship. Windsor's Holy Names Knights beat the Chatham-Kent Secondary School Golden Hawks in four sets to earn a spot in the OFSAA Championships next week.
CK got off to a solid start, holding on to win the first set 25-23, and nearly came back from an eight point deficit, eventually losing the second set 25-23. But Golden Hawks' Head Coach Elish Smith says the Knights saw an opening and never looked back.
"When Holy Names came out so strong in the third, and hammered a couple balls, the girls got scared," explains Smith. "That's when inexperience and a lack of height really got to us."
Holy Names would go on to win the next two sets The Knights were led by 6'3" Layne Van Buskirk, a member of the junior national team. In fact, Holy Names Head Coach Joe Goulet says they get a lot of help from their superstars.
"Layne is exceptional because of her play, she speaks with her play. But our other captain Kendra [Dawson] is a little more vocal and organizes the girls where they need to be," says Goulet.
Holy Names will now head to North Bay for the AAA OFSAA Senior Girls volleyball tournament. It runs March 7-9.
The Holy Names Knights celebrate their 2016 SWOSSAA Senior Girls volleyball title, February 29, 2016 (Photo by Jake Kislinsky)
