Good as gold: girls take volleyball crown in North Bay

It didn't take long for the on-court beach volleyball connection between Taylor Wilkinson and Nora Soenens to be reignited.

Despite taking some time away from a summer partnership that they enjoyed for one year, the Northern Chill and Lockerby Composite teammates reconnected in a hurry in North Bay recently, claiming gold in the U16 girls division.

The Sudbury pairing knocked off hometown favourites Amanda Justice and Brooke Allerston in the finals, winning by scores of 21-9 and 21-15.

The locals had defeated Olivia Valenti and Alyssa Lafantasie in the semi-finals to earn their berth, taking the final set by a count of 25-21.

The Wilkinson/Soenens combo finished the tournament with an unbeaten record, claiming seven straight matches en route to the title.

Ironically, the young ladies came together only because Wilkinson's U18 partner, Erica Thibeault, was unavailable for the weekend.

Playing up a division, the Sudbury team of Sydney Coles and Christina Rorison placed fifth in the U16 girls classification in their first tournament action together.