Alouettes secure second after win over Cards

And when they did, it was absolutely no contest. The Alouettes secured second place, improving to 7-1 with a 25-27, 25-9, 25-7, 25-16 win over the under-manned Cardinals.

Timeouts called by St. Charles at almost the identical stage of the second and third set (with CND leading 13-3 and 13-4 respectively) did little to stem the tide, as Notre-Dame earns a first round playoff bye, finishing behind only the unbeaten Lockerby Vikings.

Facing an 0-7 opponent at the opposite end of the standings created a bit of a challenge for coach Marc Bonin and company in the early going.

"It was terrible," said second-year left-side Ryley Bene of his team's slow start. "I guess you could say that everyone was pretty cocky. Then our coach told us to calm down, and we got a little better."
With no junior program at Notre-Dame, the senior Alouettes incorporate a mix of several ages, not a bad thing, Bene said.

"We have a bunch of juniors on our team this year, to make next year better for them," he said. "We are focused on helping them get better — smashes, passing up the ball, being quick on your feet."

It's a path that Bene has travelled, as he now has progressed to the point of developing an excellent on-court relationship with new setter, Sebastien Dugas-Ruest.

"I like his setting this year," said Bene. "Last year, I was in 10th grade, so I didn't get a chance to play much, so I wasn't hitting a lot. This year, I feel comfortable with him."

With regular season play wrapping up this week, Lasalle, Lo-Ellen, Horizon, Champlain and Lively are all in the mix for spots three through six, with two of those moving on to face CND and Lockerby in semi-final play.

"We're going to be playing against a hard team, so we're going to gave to be ready for that."