Knights bound for girls volleyball provincial championships

Make it three years running for the Lo-Ellen Park Knights senior girls volleyball team.

Despite the loss of some key graduates from the 2013-2014 squad that captured the consolation banner at AA OFSAA in Thunder Bay last March, the Knights are making a third straight trek to the provincial championships, though they find themselves matched up with the AAA competition in Ingersoll this time around.

The Knights bested the Superior Heights Steelhawks 25-16, 29-27, 25-16 last Thursday, adding the NOSSA crown to the SDSSAA title they defended less than a week earlier.

With the likes of Emily McDonald, Emily Sanders and Kelsey Pitre having moved on, the Lo-Ellen squad has seen returnees Kathryn Webb and Hannah Malinski cast into the spotlight, with newcomers Amanda Rigg and Sharon Ng also making key contributions.

The Knights are one of two local teams to advance to OFSAA at the end of the weekend, with the Collège Notre-Dame Alouettes walking away with the hardware from the A playdowns in Espanola.

For their part, the Alouettes have earned a trip to Hamilton, as Hamilton District Christian High plays host to the all-Ontario tournament that runs from March 9-11.

Though not yet eligible to move on to OFSAA, the Lasalle Lancers junior girls volleyball team laid claim to the NOSSA AAA junior banner, sweeping past Superior Heights 25-20, 25-22.

North Bay schools dominated the one and only volleyball championship contested locally, as the Widdifield Wildcats trumped the Lockerby Vikings 25-16, 25-18, 25-21 in the Senior "AA" final, while the St Joseph Scollard Hall Bears juniors battled back to defeat the Confederation Chargers 23-25, 25-20, 15-4 at Lo-Ellen Park Second School.