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r www.durhamregion.com THE CANADIAN STATESMAN, MARCH 5,2003 PAGE 17 Lords leaping into nationals Men's volleyball team gets chance at redemption after disappointing season BY BRIAN LEGREE Sports Editor DURHAM - Expect to be floored by the quality when the Canadian college volleyball championships come to Durham during March Break. Literally. Durham College is importing an Olympic Sport Court Volleyball surface from the United States in order allow the nation's top college teams to play under the best possible playing conditions. conditions. The cost of bringing the floor in for the championship, which runs Thursday, Thursday, March 13 to Saturday, March 15, is about $5,000, says Ken Babcock, Durham's athletic director. It's the same floor that's used at international international events, including the Olympic games and most recently at the Ken Babcock: 'The word to the fan is that if you want to sec the best college volleyball the country has to offer, it's going to happen here.' NCAA championships in the U.S. The 2003 Mazda CCAA Men's Volleyball Volleyball National Championships feature the top eight college teams in Canada, including the host Durham Lords. Ironically, the Lords will enter the championships minus any playoff experience experience this season, having not qualified for the Ontario championships despite having one of the top teams in the province. With injuries and other circumstances circumstances keeping some of their top players players out of the lineup early, the Lords rebounded rebounded to show their true form in the second half, but they couldn't make up enough ground to qualify for the playoffs. playoffs. "It's disappointing on two ends," says Babcock of Durham's failure to reach the playoffs. "One, we wanted to stay active and play because matches are important to play and prepare, and two, we thought we could win it. We still think we could, but we're not going to get that chance now, because we shot ourselves in the foot." Babcock has been beating the drum for the national championship, getting the word out to schools, volleyball clubs, even talking it up to service clubs. "I think the best way to sell it, is that this event doesn't come around here very often. It's been 12 or 13 years since it's come anywhere near here. A chance to see this calibre of ball - because these players go on to the national program, they go on to play pro in European leagues, they go on to play in the Olympics - they'll play here. "We've got players capable of that (at Durham) - Nat Ovsenek is a guy who could play in Europe professionally. "The word to the fan is that if you want to see the best college volleyball the country lias to offer, it's going to happen here." Babcock is convinced the sports and volleyball communities will support the event and fully expects a sell-out crowd of 1,400 for Saturday's final matches. NOTES: Tickets for the event are available at Ticketmaster locations.. .In conjunction with the championships, a ■ national coaching symposium is being. held on March 14-15. Presenters include include Wally Dyba of York University, along with Dave Dobson, Ed Drakich - and Guy Bradbury. The cost is $45 and includes a full tournament pass. For more information, call the athletic department department at 905-721 -3040. CCAA Seedings (Record, conference in brackets) 1. Red Deer (10-0, Alberta) 2. Loyalist (10-0, Ontario) 3. Camosun, (10-0, British Columbia) *4. Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (8-2, Alberta) *5. Malaspina University College (15-3, British Columbia) 6. Sherbrooke College (8-2, Quebec) 7. St. Thomas University, N.B. (16-0, Atlantic) **8. Durham College (5-5, Ontario) * wild card entry ** host team No Motor City boxers on Canadian team Club in 'rebuilding' stage says coach SARNIA - For the first time in 10 years, the Motor City Boxing Club will not have representation on the Canadian national team. Competing at the national championships championships in Sarnia last weekend, neither Clay Dales nor Jerome Gabriel was able to grab a spot on the team. Dales lost by one point in a four- round bantamweight elimination bout to Tyson Cave of Nova Scotia, while Gabriel fell by two points to Quebec's Chan Tremblay in the 43- kilogram Junior C division final. "We feel an empty spot not having a Canadian champion. It was something something we had become pleasantly accustomed accustomed to," said coach Don Nelson, Nelson, adding, "We are still very optimistic optimistic about the future and just have to realize that we are in a building stage." Dales needed to defeat Cave and then beat reigning champ Andrew Krooner twice to steal the national team spot. Cave lost his challenge match to Krooner 27-23. Gabriel reached the final and overcame a slow start to even the fight in the second round, before surrendering surrendering 17-15. It was also a hard year for Team Ontario at the nationals, losing the overall award to Quebec for the first STORE HOURS Mon.-Fri. 9-9; Sat. 9-6; Sun. 10-5 .■to, 1 ' ' www.ghMitca.pat.oo» , ' " ■ rv Hr, V ^ [W] \#r ibron to )•; I i Eglinton & Liird(Southe.utCorner)416-467-7072 IVli.SSiSSiUKJclDund.is& Hwy. «403 (Wcitof Wimton OuiKhill) 90S4U8-97SS Mifji :: H I ): i 600 Mathcson «w. W (llc.vtl.iod Town Centre) 905-361.W46 I\l0l til* Vbl'l( 23 Kodiak Crescent (Sheppard 4 Allen Rond) 416-6J64464 I'v •( 1.11 iff Hwy. »/ 4 MtCovvjn Rd. (R^lrt Bvlrind M(0oit.ildt) 905-SU-G2J9 I ItlllliltOII 14-tl Upper I.mill (Next to the thick) 90S-HM679 i ll 1 il 11; aid) 1547 Steeles Ave E. (Orion Goto Mull) tOMMMHOO Wllltby Uikkion Road Power Ctr, (4014 thlckson Hoad) 905-730-9960 llii«*l.«||»wi»nil«»V««lvfiliii4ils<li<ill«llflMi.lllw0ui»jw M»viiylih«I.IHIw Mi «nlmiMn|il.0llcill»imlb«lili*i»l ImuM |*kn r»ln lo lu* Imlihlkn », lui wl*« minimum ml «Umi.iI lull.iiuv »miy 1 dlâmbljMi m In nwS <«r»l wwl * l 't l w Uti.ulf IftwrljN0 AC r.......i.ii|.iul.i>« Vin AjtMilil U.M -'.I SIS rmnm.) Irr U...c « tiiimol QjiOmf rwijiH.,1 «maint dunOneny Cool lm.ii.1 rm vlfrt Curium t-nlcn tu.|uii« minimum IS", rfr/wul Jr# jiury Im drb.lv 'Superstores' also In London, Barrie, Ottawa & Montreal, time since 1999. It was Nelson's first defeat as provincial team coach in his fifth time serving in the position. "Just like a fighter, a coach has to learn to deal with defeat," he said. "This has been a difficult year, but we will be back on top again, sooner or later." 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