It was very quiet in the Redeemer gym this weekend but that certainly didn't mean that the Royals were not in action. The Volleyball teams made their way up to North Bay in s series of back-to-backs against Canadore College (Friday night) and Nipissing University (Saturday Afternoon) while the Basketball teams made their own trip up to Sault Ste. Marie to face Sault College (Friday night) and Algoma University (Saturday Afternoon). The Men's and Women's Indoor Soccer teams kicked off their season as well this past weekend with a trip to Centennial College for the first tournament of 2012.
The highlight of the weekend was the kick-off of the indoor seasons and the Men's team proved eager and ready to compete with a strong showing at the Centennial College Invitational. The Men's team cruised through the round robin with their only blemish coming against the top ranked Sheridan Bruins in a hard fought 1-0 loss. Their record was 3-1 going into the quarterfinals with wins against Fleming College (1-0), Centennial College (4-1), and the Royal Military College (2-0). The Royals faced the University of Toronto (Missisauga) in the quarterfinals and walked away with a 2-0 win. The semifinals had the Royals in a rematch of their round robin game against Sheridan. The Men's team jumped out to an early 3-0 lead but the Bruins showed their resiliency by battling back to tie it up at 3-3 before the Royals fell in a shootout, unfortunately ending their day.
The Lady Royals Indoor Soccer team had an up and down day that was cut short as they failed to make it past the round robin stage. The Lady Royals lost to York University (3-0) and St. Lawrence College (3-1) before turning in their best effort of the day in a hard fought 0-0 tie against Centennial College. The Lady Royals will look for an improved showing on February 4th when Redeemer hosts the 2nd annual Royal Cup Indoor Soccer Tournament.
The Royals will be happy to return to their home gym this week as being on the road was not kind. The Volleyball teams will look to regain their form and confidence in front of their home fans on Tuesday when they host the Mohawk Mountaineers in what will likely be one of the biggest home events of the season. A 1-3 weekend will be what they are looking to put behind them after the Lady Royals dropped games to Canadore College (3-2) and Nipissing University (3-0) while the Men's team picked up a win against Canadore College (3-0) but struggled against the #1 ranked Nipissing Lakers (3-0) on Saturday. Tuesday's games are at 6pm and 8pm and will be taped and aired on local television station Cable 14.
The Royals Basketball teams were unable to come out with a victory this weekend after being shutout in Sault Ste. Marie. Both teams fell to the Sault Cougars on Friday with the Women's team loosing 60-45 and the Men's team loosing 67-48. Saturday's games against Algoma University also proved to be a struggle as the Lady Royals fell 74-44 and the Men's team dropped an 83-37 decision. The Basketball teams will look to return home with a week of practicing before they face the tough Sheridan Bruins at home on Saturday. Game times are 2pm and 4pm.
