OVA News

Volleyball has been, past and present, almost exclusively reserved for girls twelve years of age and older. In late April, at 14U Tier 1 Provincial Championships in Waterloo, Tiadora Miric received an Award of Excellence for volleyball in Ontario by her team, Interclub. At eleven years of age she is the youngest player to be named to the list in the 14U Tier 1 Provincials.
The game of volleyball is being played at a very high level for more and more young athletes. Tia is a great example of what young volleyball athletes can achieve should they put 100% focus and dedication into the game. With the inception of SPIKES and other developmental OVA programs, volleyball in Ontario is more available to young athletes than ever before.
Tia took advantage of these training opportunities at a very young age. She is following in her older sister’s footsteps who has played OVA for the past five years. Her father recognized an opportunity to get his daughter started early, took advantage of available training opportunities and so the process began. Other young aspiring volleyball families can follow the lead on Tia’s journey.

Tia’s SPIKES training was completed in Aurora where she continued to train with one of the teams for the remainder of the year. At this time she is ranked in the top 30% in the pool of over 600 registered beach volleyball players in Ontario. She is playing indoor volleyball for the Interclub team under the watchful eye of Mark Reilly in Toronto. Tia recognizes her achievements as her team’s achievements, “For this award I receive today I can only thank my team for helping me get it.”

In the words of her coach, Mark Reilly: “Tia has the physical ability to go very far in this game. She is naturally gifted and has the desire to be number one. Ultimately time will tell where the top athletes stand in this sport. Tia has a bright future in this game. My hope is she will continue to out train girls her age and ultimately create a name for herself in Canada and throughout the world. As her coach I will do whatever I can to ensure her progress.”

Tia’s story is one of success, and we can always turn to the SPIKES program that promotes the development of skills in children and youths age 6-14 so that the future will see many more positive younger role models, like Tiadora Miric in Ontario Volleyball.

Lily Miric