Volleyball fun

Submitted by Jura Meilus, league coordinator.

Tournament Sunday August 12 was a date that 20 teams  from throughout the Diocese of Worcester had their sights on for several months. Each Tuesday night in July and August more than 400 young people  played at four sites to qualify for the Elite Eight. The Tournament Sunday closed out yet another successful season of the diocesan Office for Youth Ministry’s High School Youth Volleyball League.
There were 20 teams from 18 different parishes. Five of the parish teams were new to the league this year and of those five new parishes three made it to the Elite Eight. Two new sites were established this year.  St. Ann in North Oxford and St. Mark in Sutton joined perennial sites St. John, Guardian of Our Lady in Clinton and St. Christopher in Worcester, where the tournament was held.
The Elite Eight teams included: St. Christopher,Worcester; St. Rose of Lima (K), Northborough; Sacred Heart, Webster; St. John, Worcester; St. John Guardian of Our Lady,  Clinton; Auburn collaborative parishes; St. Mark,  Sutton and St. Anthony of Padua, Dudley. These teams played in seeding, qualification and final rounds, undeterred by a few passing showers. Trophies were awarded to the top four finishers which were 1st Place: St. Christopher; 2nd Place: St. Rose of Lima (K) who dedicated their season to a deceased team mate; 3rd Place: St. John and 4th Place: St. John Guardian of Our Lady.
It is interesting to note that those running the league have played in the league throughout their high school years and several teams’ coaches also played in the league in high school.
Site coordinators and referees included Jonathan Wake, Lauren Bleau, Samantha Webb, Jennifer Pegg, Cody Mullverhill, Emily Pegg, Stephen Lavallee, Michael Goodsell and Rose Murphy.
A special thanks to the pastors of the four sites and the other volunteers who made this year the success that it was. See you all next year on the volleyball court.

See more team photos in the Photo Galleries at www.catholicfreepress.org.  Photos by Terri Meilus