Silver at KASSAA, going for gold at EOSSA

Jeff Green | Feb 24, 2011

The Sharbot Lake High School Panthers Senior Girls Volleyball team lost out to Regiopolis High School 3 sets to 1 in the final match of the Kingston Area Secondary School Athletic Association (KASSAA) on Sunday, Feb. 20.

Considering the size difference in the two schools - Regiopolis is a Class AAA school with well over 1,000 students while Sharbot Lake High School has a population that is five times smaller - there was no shame in losing out in the finale of the KASSAA season and bringing home the silver.

“It's been quite a ride,” said team coach Mark Elliot. “The girls have done well. I'm really proud of them. They felt they played their best against Regi, which is all they really expect.”

This week, the team is playing against teams from smaller “A” size schools at the Eastern Ontario Secondary Schools Association Tournament in Carleton Place. The Panthers are seeded second in the six team tournament, with the school from the town of Embrun (located East of Ottawa near Russell) being the top seed. The Embrun team won the tournament last year.

“That puts the pressure on Embrun, really,” Elliott said. The Panther team is a veteran squad, with a number of girls in their fifth year at the school. “The core of the team is the same as last year’s, but the girls tell me they play a lot better as a unit than they did last year. I know they will give it their all at EOSSAA.”

The winning team at the EOSSAA tournament will go on to the provincial finals at the OFSAA tournament in the Quinte region, which starts on March 8.