Canterbury Senior Open Men’s aim for back-to-back IPC titles was splintered on Sunday, the defending champions falling 3-2 to Waikato in the quarter-finals at ASB Sports Centre in Wellington.
Coming into the event as one of the favoured teams, Canterbury – coached by Volley Blacks coach Sebastian Gonzalez - entered the last eight with three wins from their four Pool A matches.
For their part, Waikato overcame losing both matches on Day 1, winning their final Pool B match over WECA before capping the great day’s work with a dramatic 3-2 victory in the last eight match. The deciding set was edged 18-16.
Waikato coach Sam Bray is proud of the way his side rebounded after a rough opening day on Saturday.
“After a tough day one with three players down from illness and injuries, we were not in a good position with two losses to start the tournament,” Bray said.
“Day two was a chance for opportunity with no reserves, and variety was the spice of life with a 3-1 victory over WECA to match up against Canterbury in what was a humdinger of a quarter-final.
“The crowd was alive and we got a spectacular array of performances by every player on and off the court.”
Waikato now look forward to Monday’s semi-final clash with Wellington while Harbour will play MAVA in the other last four match up.
In the senior women’s competition Canterbury Senior Women’s side remain in contention for repeat titles, earning a semi-final berth on Saturday with wins over Wellington and Tasman, seeing Angus Gourlay’s team unbeaten in pool play.
Canterbury will face Bay of Plenty in the Monday morning semi-final while Harbour will tackle Tasman in the other last four match.
Tasman coach Brendan Crichton said his side are “really pleased to come out of a very tough, evenly-contested pool and still be in the hunt.”
“We’re looking forward to our semi-final tomorrow against Harbour. It’s just awesome for the girls to be playing volleyball and quality opposition.”
For full draws, fixtures and results for Monday’s playoff day please visit the tournament home page here.
The 2022 Volleyball NZ IPC event is proudly supported by Wellington City Council, Grassroots Trust, Pelorus Trust and Futurewood.
