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Siblings of returning members are eligible to register in person from now till Feb. 14 with proof of birth. 2010 Summer Outdoor House League For more information, please visit our website at www.oakvillesoccer.ca New Members Open Registration February 20 and February 27 9 am - 12 pm Oakville Town Hall South Atrium 1225 Trafalgar Road Pine Glen Soccer Centre 1520 Pine Glen Road Oakville, ON L6M 4P4 Returning Members On-line Registration www.oakvillesoccer.ca Open till February 14 www.aplushomes.ca B R O K E R A G E INDEPENDENTLY OWNED AND OPERATED Adam Campbell Broker of Record 905-844-4444SportsOakvilleBeaver SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 201024 Hawks shock at all-Catholics n By Jon Kuiperij BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR Dont judge the Loyola Hawks senior girls volleyball team by its mediocre record in Halton league play. The Hawks stunned everyone including themselves at last weeks 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 yesterdays (Tuesdays) action might suggest. Loyola was decimated by injuries earlier this sea- son, but the returns of Nicole Garcia, Paige Vukson and Martin Killeen have made an imme- diate difference. We finally have a full team of healthy girls, said Babic, admitting she didnt 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. Its great for our girls to see they have the potential to come together and work well as a team. Hawks captain Nicole Helmer agreed that winning the Ontario Catholic Classic mark- ing the first time a school from the Greater Toronto Area has won the tournament in its 33- year history is a major stepping stone for her club. In the playoff round of the tournament, the Hawks beat Bishop Ryan and Notre Dame, teams that had defeated Loyola earlier this season. The victory over Notre Dame came in a grueling three-game semifinal, where the Hawks rallied from an 11-6 deficit in the decisive set to prevail 15-12. We were definitely not chosen to win this. We were not the favourites at all, said the 17- year-old Helmer, a rep player with the Mountain Athletic Club. I think we got over a huge men- tal block. Beating their friends from Aquinas in the final made the championship all the more spe- HAWK BLOCK: Loyolas Nicole Helmer (right) goes up to block a St. Thomas Aquinas hit Friday at Loyola during the championship game of the Ontario Catholic Classic girls vol- leyball tourna- ment. The Hawks defeated Aquinas 25-13, 25-23 in the all-Oakville final to become the first team from the GTA to win the tournament in 33 years. MICHAEL IVANIN / OAKVILLE BEAVER Loyola wins provincial volleyball tourney, STA second n See All-Oakville page 25