Date: February 9, 2008
Panthers host Humber Hawks
Panther Women Lose to Hawks
The Lady Panthers had a tough evening as they lost to the Humber Hawks on Saturday night at the Education Centre Gym. The Panthers tried to battle against the second ranked Hawks, but failed to come up with a win, losing 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, and 25-17).
“I played a new position this year and had a lot of fun with it,” commented setter and graduating player, Sophie Rocheleau. “This was a great way to end my varsity volleyball career.”
“I’m very proud of the way the girls played tonight. Our goal was to play well and have fun for our last game of the year. We reached our goals tonight,” stated assistant coach Ryan Payne.
In scoring the Panthers were led by Kristen Verkuyl scoring 8 points. Kristen had 6 kills 1 stuff block and 1 serving ace. For the Hawks, they were led by Chantelle Zanette and Landis Doyle, scoring 13 points each.
“I had a lot of fun this year and thought we played an excellent game altogether. It has been an awesome way to end my volleyball career,” stated graduating player and right side, Andrea Moreau.
Although the women’s team remained winless for the season, they definitely ended it on a high note. As they went through the season, they gelled more as a team and began to really communicate on the court. Panther athletics wants to send best wishes to all of our graduating players as they move on from college to their future endeavors. The women’s team will be saying good-bye to: Sophie Rocheleau, Andrea Moreau, Mallory Parent, Kori Chapman and Lisa Bedard. Best of luck always ladies, and thank-you for your dedication to your sport.
Panther Men challenge the Hawks
On the men’s side the Canadore Panthers lost to the Humber Hawks 3-1 (25-22, 14-25, 13-25, and 19-25). The exciting game saw the Panthers come on incredibly strong, capitalizing on the Hawks’ errors early, but failing to come up with a win in the end. It was a hard fought battle as the men tried their best to match up to the second ranked Hawks.
The Panthers were lead by Toby Weins, and Peter Clifford. Toby and Peter each scored 11 points. Toby had 9 kills and 2 stuff blocks while Peter had 8 kills, and 3 stuff blocks. The Hawks were lead by Brendan Wong with 14 points in total.
From the bench, head coach Mike Smith was pleased with tonight’s performance, “It was a great end to the year. We played hard throughout the game. The first set was especially well-played. I was really proud of the way the guys ended the year. We really had a good bunch of guys this year, and I was really honoured to have the privilege of coaching the men’s team all year.”
Setter, Jon Hoadley echoed his coach’s comment, “I thought today’s game was one of our better ones even though we were unable to win. Taking a set off one of the league’s top ranked teams was great for us. I am proud of everyone on this team!”
Captain and graduating player Peter Clifford had some sentimental thoughts to add about his volleyball career as well, “Looking back I really enjoyed volleyball. Playing with these guys and the great coaches has really developed me as both a player and person. I had the opportunity not only to share my passion for volleyball with my teammates, but they were also able to teach me new things about myself.”
Once again, Panther athletics would like to recognize all of the graduating players on the men’s team. We would like to wish continued success and good fortune to the following players: Peter Clifford, Kyle Bourque, Chad Parent, Jeremy Tremblay, and Toby Weins.
Finally, with the conclusion of another Panther varsity season, we would like to thank both the men’s and women’s coaching staff for their support and dedication to the team. We would also like to acknowledge all of our fans for their continued support at our home games, and we look forward to the next season.
