November 24, 2007
Panthers Take on the Mountaineers
Lady Panthers lose fight 3-0
The lady panthers faced off against the Mohawk Mountaineers in the Education Centre Gym at 5PM on Saturday, November 24, 2007. The ladies could not seem to generate offense against one of the toughest teams they faced to date, losing 3-0 (25-15, 25-16, 25-12). “Tonight, although we had some positive moments, was a real let down. After all the hard work we did last night, there was a lot of expectation that were not met. We have to start coming together as a team, communicating and pushing through every point with energy and enthusiasm. Even though we lost, we see every game as a learning experience,” stated veteran middle, Mallory Parent. On a night that didn’t see much offensive scoring from the Panthers, Mallory came up with 4 kills and 1 serving ace for a total of 5 points. The Panthers were led by Middle Lisa Bedard (3 kills, 2 stuff blocks and 1 serving ace) and left side, Kristen Verkuyl (5 kills and 1 stuff block).
On the other side of the court, the Moutaineers were led by number 13, Sarah Borycki, scoring 12 points (6 kills, 1 stuff block and 5 serving aces).
“The girls didn’t have it tonight. Moving forward, we need to work on our mental toughness in order to be successful,” stated head coach Joey Rainer.
The Panthers will be playing in the battle of the bay, part 1, on Wednesday, November 28, 2007 up at the RJ Surtees Gym at 6PM, and then will be making the trip out to Sault College, and playing on December 1.
Panthers Lose Offensive Steam
The men’s game followed the women’s game at the Education Centre Gym on Saturday, November 24, 2007 at 7PM. The men lost the game 3-0 to the Mohawk Mountaineers. The Panthers controlled most of the first set, losing 25-27. After the close set, Mohawk controlled the remainder of the game, winning the second and third sets 14-25 and 117-25 respectively.
“We came out strong, but faltered when starting middle Toby (Coco) Weins went down to injury. Our squad is very small and any injury really hurts us. We’ve shown we can play with any squad in this league, but its about maintaining that throughout the entire game and every match,” explained coach Mike Smith.
Panthers scoring was led by veteran Peter Clifford, scoring 10 points all on kills. On the other side of the court, the Mountaineers were led by Cody Forrest with 16 points (10 kills, 1 stuff block and 5 serving aces).
“we had a good start to the first set, but couldn’t keep up on serve receive. Increased confidence could have made today more competitive. It’s what I want our team to focus on in the future,” spoke a hopeful second year setter, Jonathan Hoadley.
The Panthers last game for 2007 will be the battle of the bay at the RJ Surtees Gym at 8PM on Wednesday, November 28, 2007.
