OVA News

The 17U Element volleyball team participated in the 18U Provincial Cup Premier Division this past weekend at Brock University in St.Catharines and little did we know when the girls took the court at 10:00 am just how long the day would be.
Pool Play:
1030hrs – The first match of the day was against the 18U Scarborough Titans Volleyball Club out of Toronto. This match went  back and forth, point for point ending in tough split 25-23, 23-25.

1200hrs – With no break Element would once again face the 18U Durham Attack team from Oshawa. This would be our third match up this season against the older team and Element wanted a different outcome, having lost the previous two matches. Element surprised the DA team by jumping out to a big lead (20-15) however, unforced errors allowed DA back into the set and Element dropped the set 22-25. Somewhat disappointed in having dropped the previous set Element lost a bit of their spark in the second set and Attack took that set 16-25.

1315hrs – Again with no break, Element took the court for  their final match of pool play against the 18U Halton Hurricanes from Burlington. Set one saw Element begin to come alive ultimately winning 25-19. Set two saw the Hurricanes up their game and battle back repeatedly but unfortunately it was too little too late and Element took that set in a nail-biter finishing 26-24.

Playoffs:
1445hrs – Next was Element’s first crossover game in the playoffs against the 18U MAC team from Hamilton. Element led set one from start to finish winning 25-20. MAC turned up the heat and battled for every point in the next set but Element was able to come out on top 26-24.

Quarter Finals
1600hrs – Continuing on the back-to-back match pattern, Element versus the 18U Maverick Shot Guns came next. This would be Element’s first match up against the much taller, bigger team from Ottawa. This match was an indication of just how evenly matched these two teams were. There were some unbelievable rallies and both teams were able to execute plays that showed just how talented these two groups are. In the end, on this particular day, Element was the team that came away victorious 25-23, 25-22.

Semi Finals
1700hrs – This would be Element’s 6th game in a row with no break and the opponent would again be the 18U Durham Attack squad. With a record of 0-3 against Attack, the team was eager to once again compete against this strong and experienced team with building confidence and ever-growing belief in the competitors they are and can be. Set one saw Element play with intensity, determination and heart. Each point was treated like game point and you could feel the momentum growing. Set one Element 25-22. With a taste of victory Element took a very quick lead in set two and did not look back defeating Attack 25-17.

GOLD MEDAL MATCH
1830hrs – 7 games in a row we want this day to be OVER! The Gold medal match would be against the winners of the first Premier Division Tournament, the 18U Georgetown Impact team. Element, now playing on pure adrenaline and heart, took the court for the final battle of the day and executed play after play to near perfection. It looked like pure sailing all the way to a set one win against the very talented Georgetown team as Element was up 22-18 but Georgetown refused to give up and battled back to win it 25-22. Set two was an exceptionally great game with both teams treating the spectators to some phenomenal displays of volleyball. Ultimately Element came away victorious in set two with a win of 25-21. So as it should be, the GOLD MEDAL match would be won in a 3rd set which we believe is an indication of just how good and how competitive the volleyball is in this age division. Set three for the GOLD. Element took an early lead and were up 8-4 at the side switch. Georgetown, not be outdone, came back with vengeance in an attempt to maintain their #1 seeding but they were shut down by the younger Element team who wanted to prove to everyone that they were indeed ready to compete with the best of the best in the OVA. Element after 7 straight sets with no breaks between matches, closed out set three of the final game 15-10 to capture GOLD.
Congratulations Ladies well deserved and WELL DONE.

Coach’s Corner
I can easily speak for assistant Coach Rob, MAT trainer Eric and myself when I say we are all so proud of how this team competed and contributed throughout the whole day. It was relentless, demanding, emotional and intense to say the least. For me, the biggest factor in this team’s success was the commitment, support and belief of every single player.
There was absolutely no “I” in team yesterday at Brock University. Element was a total unit, helping each other strive for the next point, whether it was through screaming voices, handslaps or eye to eye contact. It took every single player working together to get to the end of a long day and be victorious and that means more than any number of sets or gold medals won. We all saw a small fraction of what this team is capable of and with more work, effort and challenges to come, the play will only get better and the rewards will only be greater. Our mantra of Believe, Reach, Work, Achieve really did become realized and it was the first step of BELIEVE that made the difference. Congratulations ladies, you all deserve it!

As always a big thank you to the support and relentless cheering of our Element parents. You were our 7th player!
Dana

submitted story