The Sunshine Coast Volleyball Club (SCVC) sent seven athletes to the U14 Beach Volleyball Provincials and came home with a silver medal from the event at Spanish Banks in Vancouver, Aug. 13 and 14.
Competing were Talia Barnum and Zoey Schutz, Veronica Evans and Nicki Gjerdalen, Olivia Alstad and Shanti Thurber, and Stephanie Slingerland playing with Claire Lee from Vancouver.
Saturday morning was pool play with eight pools and 31 teams playing in cool and windy conditions.
SCVC came out of their pools first, third, fourth and second respectively.
Talia and Zoey beat the third ranked team in their pool and then the second ranked team in the semifinals on Sunday.
Veronica and Nicki had a tough start playing the top team. They eventually found their groove as the day progressed.
Stephanie and Claire had an awesome morning building on each of their matches, while Olivia and Shanti, beginners to the sport, embraced the experience, improving with each game.
The teams were then power pooled for the afternoon wave of three matches each. Sunday morning saw all the teams facing double elimination. By the end of the day, Talia and Zoey placed second in tier one, and Claire and Stephanie placed first in tier two. Overall, it was a very successful weekend for the Coast teams.
Dempster bombed by Brewers
Ryan Dempster's up and down season continued last Saturday night in Milwaukee where the Chicago Cubs dropped a 6-4 decision to the Brewers.
Dempster, now with a record of 10-10, was chased after four innings, allowing five runs on seven hits with three walks and two strikeouts, and was tagged for a pair of home runs. The Cubs rallied late with four runs in the seventh inning, but the Brewers' bullpen held the lead.
Dempster is slated to take the hill today (Friday) afternoon against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
Roller derby action
The Sunshine Coast Roller Girls are gearing up for their first home match next Saturday, Sept. 10, in Sechelt.
The Roller Girls will take on the Tournament City Derby Dolls from Kamloops at the Sunshine Coast Arena. Doors open at 5:30 with the match at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door. Children under nine are free accompanied by an adult. There will be a concession, 50/50 draw and team merchandise for sale. Tickets are available from various Coast businesses.
Check out Coast Reporter sports Sept. 9 for a further match preview.
