Loyola Hawks Shock
Don’t judge the Loyola Hawks senior girls’ volleyball team by its mediocre record in Halton league play.
The Hawks stunned everyone — including themselves — at last week’s Ontario Catholic Classic tournament, winning 18 of the 19 sets they played to claim the championship at the prestigious competition.
Loyola defeated another surprise finalist, the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders, 25-13, 25-23 in an all-Oakville final Friday afternoon at Loyola.
Hawks coach Toni Babic said winning the ‘A’ championship proves her team is capable of much more than the 4-4 record they carried into yesterday’s (Tuesday’s) action might suggest. Loyola was decimated by injuries earlier this season, but the returns of Nicole Garcia, Paige
Vukson and Martin Killeen have made an immediate difference.
“We finally have a full team of healthy girls,” said Babic, admitting she didn’t expect her team to even qualify for the ‘A’ division playoffs at the 24-team tournament. “This is a really nice way to go into our league playoffs. It’s great for our girls to see they have the potential to come together and work well as a team.”
Jon Kuiperij, BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR
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