Their first step is to play Laval
Mar. 3, 2010 - Regina Leader-Post
By Ian Hamilton
Unintentionally, Melanie Sanford performed a fine job of advance scouting in late December.
During Canada West's Christmas break, Sanford's University of Regina Cougars women's volleyball team competed in a tournament at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.
In the Cougars' first match, they posted a 3-1 victory over the Laval Rouge et Or -- the same team against which the Cougars will open the CIS volleyball championship tournament on Friday. Oh, and that match is to be played on the same floor as the teams' previous meeting.
"We played Laval at Christmas in Edmonton for a reason," Sanford said Tuesday before the squad's final practice at the U of R's Centre for Kinesiology, Health and Sport. "I decided to go to that tournament as part of our preparations in case we made it to the national championship ...
"Obviously, we didn't know which teams would be there (for nationals), but the fact we just played them two months ago is going to really, really help."
The whole point of attending the U of A tournament was to get the Cougars accustomed to the facility. Because of the rotating schedule in Canada West, some players hadn't taken the floor in Edmonton in their U of R careers before the tournament.
"We knew nationals were going to be played there, so we wanted to experience playing in that gym," middle Beth Clark said. "The only eastern team there was Laval and we ended up playing them.
"Of course we didn't know it was going to turn out this way (at nationals) -- that we were going to be the fourth seed and (the Rouge et Or) are fifth -- but it's going to end up being the best kind of training for this particular situation."
The CIS event begins with the No. 1-ranked UBC Thunderbirds taking on the eighth-ranked Saint Mary's Huskies, followed by the Laval-Regina clash. The match between the sixth-seeded Toronto Varsity Blues and No. 3 Manitoba Bisons is next, followed by the match between the No. 2 Montreal Carabins and seventh-seeded Alberta Pandas.
Semifinals are set for Saturday, with the bronze- and gold-medal matches slated for Sunday.
The Cougars obviously want to succeed on Sunday -- "I want hardware!" Clark said with a grin -- but they're not getting ahead of themselves.
"The first step is Laval," Clark said. "That's the only thing that we can control, so that's what we're focusing on."
"We're really not deviating from what we've done up to now," added Sanford. "We're going to focus on being in the moment. The only difference is, whatever we're doing now has to be better."
The Cougars finished third at the Canada West championship tournament on the weekend in Winnipeg to earn a berth at the CIS event. It's the first appearance at nationals for a U of R women's volleyball team since 2000.
Clark said Regina's lack of experience at the CIS level isn't a major concern. She believes that since the Cougars already have exceeded some people's expectations by reaching nationals, there isn't any pressure on them.
Sanford certainly seemed relaxed.
"For me, it feels like another volleyball tournament," she said. "I've been doing this for so long, it's just three more matches. We're happy with the achievement, but we can't make it more than it is. When it's over, do what you want with it."
Clark would love to take Sanford up on that offer.
"When I was younger -- in my first or second year -- I had no idea how hard it is to finish in the top three in the league," said the Cougars' fifth-year star. "It's really hard.
"To look back on my career, to finally get to this point and to think of the last five years as training to get to this point, it all kind of adds up."