By: Sarah Maat
Scarborough, ON - Unless their playoff run becomes one of unbelievable surprises, Sunday marked the last time four Centennial Colts would ever play volleyball at home.
In the 3-2 (15-25, 20-25, 25-20, 29-27, 12-15) loss to the Canadore Panthers, graduating Colts Sophia Clement, Isabella Heath, Cassidy Dunlop, and Christina Triska saw their final minutes on the Centennial court.
Both Centennial (9-8) and Canadore (12-5) are ranked in the middle of the East division standings, and Sunday's game helped determine who their opponents may be heading in playoffs.
The match started slowly for the Colts as they experienced a hefty 13-7 deficit early on midway through the first. However, Centennial strung together some excellent rallies, showing good teamwork from a line that usually doesn't find themselves on the court together.
Yet these efforts were still not enough, and few rallies ended positive for the Colts, so the Panthers took the first set 25-15
The second set followed similar suit, and although Centennial got more balls over, they still did not end on top. Canadore took it 25-20.
In the third set the Colts looked for redemption and found it. They built a solid lead with long rallies and remained up three points for most of the set until the end when they pulled ahead to finish 25-20 and push for a fourth.
Centennial continued in the fourth with heavy attacks and strong defence on the edges. The two teams traded the lead late into the set and numerous service errors kept the match fair. Both struggled to build a two-point lead until the Colts made a final push to continue the game going up 29-27.
In the fifth set the Panthers prevented a Colts comeback and brought the same excellence they demonstrated at the start of the game. Centennial service game was strong and consistent, but even their four aces in the final moments could not secure the win and the panthers finished the match 15-12.
The Colts finish the season with a record of 9-9 putting them 6th in the East Division. The Colts will now travel to Niagara to play their first crossover playoff game in the 3v6 matchup.