Attack Opens OCs with a Bang
The OVA kicked off Provincials this past weekend with a great 13/14U tournament that drew rave reviews from all involved. Prime Minister Harper, unable to travel to Poland due to flight restrictions, and with an unexpected hole in his calendar was able to support his son’s Ottawa Fusion team and meet hundreds of our Ontario athletes.
Competition was tough all weekend, especially on Day 2 when the new diagonal seeding system made for excellent volleyball. The 14U Boys final four featured four great teams that had traded gold and silver medals with each other all season – Pakmen, Ottawa Fusion, Niagara Rapids and Durham Attack. Both semis were three set matches in loud gyms full of screaming fans. Attack lost their first set to Fusion 15-25, but roared back to take set two and the tiebreaker over Fusion 15-9. Rapids stunned the big Pakmen team, winning 15-8 in their tiebreaker.
In their Bronze Medal match, Fusion bounced back to avenge a Day 2 loss to Pakmen with two 25-20 wins. In the Gold medal match the Attack boys faced a strong Niagara Rapids team that they had defeated 2-0 the previous day. This time around the Rapids were determined to settle the score and waged a see-saw battle. Attack narrowly took the first set and lost the second, but came out strong in the tiebreaker, took a commanding lead and never looked back, again winning 15-9.
Durham Attack Arif Wins 14U Girls
The 14U Girls division featured 67 teams and some of the strongest in the country. DA ran two 14U girls teams, coached by Arif Nathoo and Chris Williamson. Both teams had a very successful season, and 14U Arif capped their Ontario season with a stellar performance to win the 14U Championship.
The 14U Girls division also had some very tough competition, with a few teams pushing 14U Arif to their limit. They faced Georgetown Impact in the final, and it was a match marked by long rallies. But a long season of 14U play and extra tournaments gave them the hard-earned composure they needed to bounce back from a first set loss, and like the boys they won a 15-9 tiebreaker to earn the Gold medal.
