Westport Lions 2016 Beach Volleyball Tournament

Westport Lions Beach Complex was the site of Westport’s 4^th annual Beach Volleyball tournament on Saturday. Four very competitive teams played 18 games vying for the title of Westport Lions 2016 Beach Volleyball champion.

Thanks to all the teams and participants that made the 2016 event a huge success. Local teams Hartless and How I Set Your Mother battled Kingston teams Ryatt Volleyball and Shinebright providing fans with an excellent display of volleyball skills.

The Westport Lions Club built a 2^nd beach volleyball court directly on the Lions Beach this spring enabling 2 games to be played on adjacent courts at the same time. Tournament players commented positively about playing on one of the highest quality beach volleyball facilities in eastern Ontario.

All teams played 3 round robin games. In round robin action, Ryatt Volleybal ranked first with 5 points, Hartless and Shinebright tied for 2^nd place with 4 points followed by How I Set Your Mother.

Duncan Villeneuve of the Shinebright team successfully returned what looked like a sure point for Ryatt, in the final, with a “bicycle kick”. The ball was hit over Duncan’s head, just short of the base line. He turned and kicked his legs out towards the back court and in the same motion he contacted the ball with his foot, directing it back over his head and the net to the opposing court. A truly remarkable athletic feat, for which Duncan was awarded the play of the tournament award.

The 2 Kingston teams, Ryatt Volleyball and Shinebright,won their semi final matches and squared off in the championship match. Ryatt won both games with scores of 21 to 13 and 21 to 18.

Congratulations to the Ryatt Volleyball team members Marben Espejo, Yannick Plante, Logan Morris and Lindsay Burtch for winning the title of Westport Lions Volleyball Champions for the 2^nd year in a row.

Fun and sportsmanship is the focus of this event and it was very evident that every player contributed to the enjoyment of participants and spectators. The Lions Beach was crowded all day thanks to the sun, heat and volleyball.