Whistler Extreme and Whistler Whoosh on top in tournaments
With the provincials just down the road, a pair of Whistler women’s volleyball teams have stepped up their training. And it’s showing.
At a recent B.C. Volleyball Association tournament at the newly upgraded Velodrome in Vancouver, the Whistler Extreme Team finished fifth in Tier I/II play on Feb. 22, while the Whistler Whoosh finished third in Tier II/III play the following day.
The Whistler Extreme started their day with a win, and finished second overall in the round robin that determines seeding in the playoff bracket.
Although they played well in the quarter-final, Extreme lost their first game in the bracket, and ended the day in fifth place out of 12 teams. Not bad considering that this is the Extreme’s first year at the Tier I/II level, and they were facing the top teams in the Lower Mainland.
Shelly Ledingham, in the middle position, and Veronica Voracek, in the power hitting spot, set the pace for the team early, calling for the ball and following through on their shots. As the day went on, power hitters Georgina Titus and Olga Achiardi stepped up their offensive and defensive games.
Returning player Jodi Rutten was a welcome addition in the middle position, and Kat Frew kept the intensity level up. Setters Jennifer Johnson and Carlee Howell also did a good job setting up the power hitters and contributed some offence of their own.
The Extreme thank coach Bill Sirota for helping the team to compete at the most elite provincial level.
The Whistler Extreme will be travelling to Vancouver on April 5 for the Tier I Provincials.
The Whistler Whoosh took to the court the following day, and played hard to win two out of three games in the pool play. In their first game they took a tough team to a third game, but lost the match and were relegated to the consolation round.
They won that game against a weaker Vancouver team, and finished the day in third place.
With a loss of players over the course of the season, several Extreme players did double-duty with the Whoosh team.
Olga Achiardi and Shelly Ledingham were strong in the middle position, and power hitters Megan Ballard and Carlee Howell kept their shots in, and challenged the other teams defences. Myrna Bush and Sue Oliver were solid in the setter position.
The Whoosh would also like to thank Bill Sarota for his coaching, and sponsor Whooshnet Cable 6 for their support.
The next test for the Whoosh is the Tier II Provincials in Vancouver on March 15.
