OVA News

After a quick chat with Mountain Athletic Club (MAC) 15U volleyball coach Paul Guagliano, it’s easy to see why his six-foot-two-inch Milton standout finished the season with a couple notable accolades.

“He’s been a team leader — in skill, effort and attitude. I’ve been lucky to have him on my squad the past two years ” said Guagliano of Brendan Kewin, whom he recently named team MVP.

The 15-year-old Milton District High School student earned recognition beyond MAC circles as well this spring, having garnered the OVA’s Award of Excellence during the provincial championships in Waterloo.

The Hamilton-based team didn’t quite live up to its second-place ranking there — finishing a somewhat disappointing fifth — but what success it did achieve was due largely to Kewin.

Serving as a vocal co-captain and go-to star — who Guagliano believes is among the province’s best blockers, at his age level — the local teen led MAC to wins over the Kingston Segada, Mississauga Pakmen, Niagara Rapids and Durham Attack en route to the quarterfinals. There Kewin and company forced a third set out of the Cobourg Breakers — beating them 25-20 in game two — before being eclipsed 15-12 in the tiebreaker.

“We had a good team this year and did well, just not as well as expected at provincials,” said Kewin, who thanks to a strong vertical leap and formidable overall game led the team — which included Campbellville’s Josh Searle — to a pair of bronze-medal performances in tournament play this past season.

Added Guagliano, “Brendan’s our strongest, most consistent hitter, and on defence he has great vision and reaction speed for one of our big guys.”

A key member of the Milton District Mustangs junior team that captured the Halton Tier 2 title last fall, Kewin heads overseas at the end of the month to be part of a Hamilton-based team that’ll compete at the International Children’s Games in Dubai (south of Persian Gulf).

“He will undoubtedly be a superstar (there),” said Guagliano.

insidehalton.com