The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, February 20, 2013 · 18 Sports Oakville Beaver By Jon Kuiperij BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR SPORTS EDITOR:JONKUIPERIJ Phone 905-632-0588 (ext. 294) email sports@oakvillebeaver.com Jr. Raiders survive scare to finish season undefeated THRILL OF VICTORY: Anything worth doing doesn't come easily. The St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders junior girls' volleyball team was reminded of that yesterday (Tuesday) at Sheridan College. Looking to become the first-ever Aquinas team to finish a season undefeated in both league and tournament play, the Raiders were pushed to the limit in the Halton final by a resilient Assumption Crusaders squad, eventually scratching out a 25-17, 16-25, 15-13 victory. Raiders back-court player Ania Ermarkaryan delivered the championship-clinching blow, floating a well-placed serve that the Crusaders weren't able to return from deep in their own territory. "I was just hoping it was going to go over," Ermarkaryan said, "and I tried to pick a spot that was deep." For the first half of yesterday's final, it didn't appear as though such a dramatic finish would be in store. Aquinas controlled the opening set from start to finish, then roared out to a 6-1 lead in the second game. But the Crusaders fought back, scoring 16 of the final 20 points in the second set and carrying plenty of momentum into the deciding game. "I tried to use (the chance to make history) as motivation, but you're putting a lot of pressure on 14-year-old girls," said Raiders coach Peter Szpakowski, whose roster is completely comprised by Grade 9 students. "During a timeout in the second game, when it was clear we were going to lose (that set), I told them I was proud of them regardless of what happened. I was riding them a lot today, and they hadn't seen that side of me because we've been winning so much. I had to back off there and let them play." Though improved play by Assumption led to the secondset turnaround, Ermarkaryan agreed that the pursuit of perfection was also a factor. "I guess maybe the nerves got to us a bit," she said. "At the end of the second game, we had to put that behind us and play how we wanted to play." Juhl Henricksen -- who Szpakowski described as "the best player in the league by far" -- came through for Aquinas St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders players celebrate after clinching the Halton junior girls' volleyball championship yesterday at Sheridan College. The Raiders defeated Assumption 25-17, 16-25, 15-13 to cap an unbeaten season in both league and tournament play. RIZIERO VERTOLLI / OAKVILLE BEAVER / @HALTON_PHOTOG with several big hits in the third set. Caroline Noble, playing with an injured shoulder, contributed key blocks to allow the Raiders to build a 13-10 lead. Szpakowski also credited Jaime Bon and Natalie Lakostic for overcoming some early nerves, Claire Hatzinnau for "always being steady" and Ermarkaryan for strong serving throughout. The only set the Raiders lost this season in league play came in the Halton final. Aquinas also won all the junior tournaments it entered, winning 58 of 62 sets against junior squads overall. The Raiders even fared well in a couple senior competitions, reaching the bronze-medal game of its own tournament and winning all three of its games at the Catholic provincial championships that were eventually cancelled due to a snowstorm. "You have to keep in mind that these are 12 Grade 9s," Szpakowski said. "I knew this was coming. I've known these girls for a while. Eleven of them play for the Oakville Thunder (club team Szpakowski coaches)." Another man who saw it coming was Peter Szpakowski's brother, long-time Aquinas drama teacher and volleyball coach Ron, who passed away suddenly two months ago. Ron had also coached the girls since they started playing rep in Grade 5. The day before he died, Ron drove to Kitchener to watch the Raiders play in a tournament. "He's a part of this," Peter said. "And they know that." Other members of the Raiders are Cameron Merrigan, Emma Costin, Emma Guerin, Julia Parypa, Carter Merrigan and Monica Werykowicz. Peter Walker is the team's assistant coach. -- Jon Kuiperij can be followed on Twitter @Beaversports Register Now Division Age Blastball 4 T-Ball 5-6 7-8 T-Ball Minor A 8-9 Minor AA 10 Minor AAA 11 Major 12 Junior 13 - 14 Senior 15 - 17 Big League 17 - 20 Oakville Little League - 2013 Youth Baseball Registration Register Now WHERE: OAKVILLE LITTLE LEAGUE FIELDHOUSE, 425 Cornwall Road WHEN: SATURDAY, February 23rd & March 2nd 9:00AM to 4:00PM The largest youth baseball organization in Oakville. The highest caliber, fun and fair-play house leagues. Grass infields, pitching mounds, outfield fences & dugouts for ages 9 & up. The only All-Star program to compete in Senior, Junior & Little League World Series playdowns. Fees include: Major League replica uniform, individual & team photos. Oakville Little League offers: Proud Sponsor of Oakville Little League For more information call 905-827-1831 or register online at www.ollb.org