Heading into Friday night's Peel high school senior girls’ tier one volleyball championship match, the John Fraser Royal Jaguars knew they had their work cut out for them facing the three-peat champion Mayfield Mavericks.
The experienced Mavericks made it four in a row, winning three straight sets (25-14, 25-16, 25-16) in just 65 minutes.
“We felt confident coming into the game. We had played them before and it was a close match,” said John Fraser head coach Kelly Sinclair. “But this was one of our toughest matches.”
The Jags went into the finals undefeated but size counts, as Mayfield used their three six-footers to dominate the match.
For Mayfield, clinching the Peel title Friday night at Lorne Park Secondary School gave them their 10th championship in the past 19 years.
“We’ve been really fortunate to draw a lot of rep players from the Peel Selects Volleyball Club,” said Mayfield head coach Ken Jone. “These girls know how to compete at the highest level and what it takes to win.”
In the junior tier one final, Mayfield wasted no time in disposing Philip Pocock Pirates 2-0 (25-18, 15-19).
“Even though we lost, I think we played our best game all season,” said Pocock head coach Drago Radic. “These girls were diving for balls, trying not to let any drop. We had a previous problem of missing serves, but they played almost every serve.”
For Pocock’s Nina Jocson, finishing second was a great accomplishment.
“I think our team played really well,” said the grade-nine student who joined Pocock only four months ago. “It feels great winning this medal, it’s my first.”