This past weekend at the opening tournament for the 2012 Island Beach Volleyball Series, Shimen and Thana Fayad of the Mark Isfeld Ice dug out gold from the sands of Parksville in the Grade 10 category for the high school competition.
The day started out sunny but very windy to challenge the 80 teams. Placing second in their pool in the morning, after a team of Nanaimo boys took the lead, the team of Fayad 2 (squared) were called back to the courts for the playoff rounds to begin.
The Fayads never lost a game after that, and after seven hours in the hot sun, headed to the final match against no other then the Nanaimo boys team from Dover Bay that had taken the lead in their pool play that very morning.
Shimen and Thana, Grades 10 and 8, dominated the first game with some serious digs and pounding hits. Not new to the game of beach and all the sand tricks that go with it, Shimen challenged the two boys at the net with great fakes and sleight of hand. Not to be outdone, Thana served swerving aces and perfect passes that gave the boys reason for a time out as the point spread widened.
The second game did not go so favourably, as the points stayed close rally after long rally. Every point was hard earned by both teams, as the day’s heat continued and the digs in the sand saved both teams point for point.
Into the tie breaker, the game could have gone either way, but it was the Fayad sisters that took the gold with dominance and relentless challenges at the net.
– Isfeld athletics
