Mavs Trump Drama
The 15U Mavericks won the Ontario Volleyball Championships in Kitchener/Waterloo, emerging victorious by the minimum two-point margin in all three of their playoff games.
The Mavericks won all six of their matches in pool play on the first day of the April 11-13 competition in straight sets, but things got much more difficult in the playoff round. The top-seeded team in the province squeaked by Scarborough 25-23, 22-25, 16-14 in the quarter-finals, beat Oakville 25-23, 28-26 in the semis, and then were crowned champions with a 20-25, 19-25, 15-13 victory in the gold medal final over Aurora Storm Thunder.
“I survived it,” Mavericks coach John Spack wrote in an e-mail. “My hair was receding anyways – this just accelerated the process.”
The OVA championship was the goal the girls set for themselves, Spack notes, and it’s likely the “ridiculously intense” path to success they’ll remember the most and grow from.
“The overall consistency and work ethic of the girls hasn’t wavered since November,” Spack adds. “They’ve been sticking to the program and bringing pretty much the same energy to every practice.”
The 15U title was one of two won at the 18U/15U provincials by the east end-based Mavericks, as the 18U girls took the Division 2 event with nine-straight victories, including a 25-19, 22-25, 15-12 triumph over the National Capital Volleyball Club 16U team in the final.
The No. 2-seeded 18U Mavericks boys didn’t have as successful an event, losing out in the quarter-finals 23-25, 17-25 to Whitby’s Interclub. The result was similar to last year, when the same group of players finished fourth in Ontario…
Get the full story from Dan Plouffe, East Ottawa Star
