By: Sarah Maat
Scarborough, ON - The Colts put on a show for their senior appreciation night on Sunday. In three straight sets (25-14, 25-16, 25-17), the Centennial Colts (13-4) ruthlessly swept the Canadore Panthers (8-9) for their last regular season home game of the year.
Before the match, head coach Clayton Couchman recognized four graduating players—Marc Esguerra, Alexandros Tsevas, Zachary Orat, and Lionnis Salazar—for their excellence during their time at Centennial.
"We had an amazing group of seniors, and it is super important to recognize them. Each one of them played a big role throughout the season," Couchman said of his players.
Then, after these festivities, the fun really began.
Centennial started off the match hot going up 10-4 with six unanswered points in a row. This momentum carried them through the rest of the first set and they quickly used strategic ball placement to expedite their lead and win the set 25-14.
The second set was more of the same with the Colts easily going up 10-1. During this run, the Panthers' sole point was a result of a Colts return error, and not from any offence attack that they'd initiated.
The Panthers biggest issues during the set was service errors and they gave the Colts many free points. Centennial used these handouts well, and they soon added to their lead ending the play 25-16.
In the third set, the Panthers produced more opportunities than they had all game and stayed within two points of the Colts as Centennial went up 9-7. This pattern continued for a few more rallies as both teams worked on perfect ball placement to produce perfect results.
Midway through the third, the Colts were up 17-13, and the Panthers had a lead in sight.
It was then, that Centennial monopolized on the back zones of the court. The Panthers formation was heavily biased towards the net, leaving two perfect slots near the baseline that precision hitter Pedro Casellatto would soon turn into Panther kryptonite.
As the Colts pulled ahead 21-15, Canadore called a timeout, but their efforts did not break the Centennial momentum. The Colts took their final set of the sweep 25-17.
The Colts finish the season with a record of 14-4, finishing 2nd in the East Division. Meaning, next up is playoffs; the Colts will start their campaign at home on Saturday against the Mohawk Mountaineers.
"We're emphasizing playing energetic and that is something that will carry us into playoffs," Couchman said.