OVA News

Renegades Rejoice

xenie — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:48:50 +0000

Not so fast, fellas.
The home-court Grand River Renegades staved off a late-game charge from the Forest Heights Trojans to capture an unprecedented fourth straight regional junior boys Quad-A volleyball title last night.
The teams went the five-set distance (25-21, 25-14, 19-25, 14-25 and 15-12) last night for the third time this season. Last night’s match, played before a packed, boisterous house, threatened to be a repeat of the Waterloo County final played only days before.
In that league championship, the Rens also stormed to a two-set lead before surrendering the next three straight.
Rens coach Jeff Hunsberger had already seen that movie.
“I think the other night we’d thought we’d won it. (Last night) there was a lot more desire and the guys stepped up.”
Grand River’s inspirational leader Scott Foggo, 15, said their recent blown opportunity was not easily forgotten.

Get the full story from Christine Rivet, The Record

Sir Winston Bulldogs Tri-peat

xenie — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 11:00:46 +0000

For the third year in a row, the Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs senior boys volleyball team is the Southern Ontario Secondary School Association AAA champion.
With Bulldogs’ 6-foot-4 forward Tre Cunningham and 6- foot-3 middle Patrick Strzalkowski leading the way, the team defeated the Ancaster Royals 25-15, 25-17 in the championship game at Stamford
Collegiate in Niagara Falls last Wednesday.
“The finals went well, because we executed our game plan right from the start, and everything fell into place,” said Cunningham, who led all players with six kills and three winners. “Earlier we had some kinks, but by the end we pulled through.”
More from Joseph Cassidy, Niagara Falls Review

Wildcats Spike Alouettes

xenie — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:03:46 +0000

Notre-Dame Alouettes volleyball coach Joanna Castonguay and her players have seen enough of the Widdifield Wildcats teams from North Bay for one season.
The Wildcats sunk the hopes of the Alouettes senior and junior boys’ volleyball teams Saturday as they won both Northern Ontario regional AA championships in Greater Sudbury.
The junior Alouettes fell 25-22 and 25-11 to Widdifield at Lockerby, while the seniors fell 25-11 and 25-10 in their final.
‘We’re almost used to losing to them,” Notre-Dame junior and senior coach Castonguay said. “Our boys put up a good fight and played great. They adapted well and I couldn’t ask for more. It could have
been a better day for us, but we can’t be too upset. Widdifield has an excellent program.”

Get the full story from Scott Haddow, The Sudbury Star

Blues Move On

xenie — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 11:00:06 +0000

The Kingston collegiate senior boys volleyball team may have lost the gold-medal match at the Eastern Ontario Secondary Schools Athletics Association triple-A championship, but it has no reason to be feeling the Blues.
Kingston pushed the defending champion and perennial powerhouse Regiopolis-Notre-Dame Panthers in a three-set match, beating them 25-18 in the first set before dropping the second set 25-15 and losing 15-10 in the clincher.
For their efforts, the Blues earned a shiny silver medal in the five-team tournament held at Regi. More importantly, the second-place finish gives the Blues, who needed to place in the top three, a coveted berth in the provincial championship next weekend at Regi.
It has been a hasty and welcome emotional turnaround for Kingston. Only one week ago, the Blues dropped a Kingston area semifinal match to the Bayridge Blazers and the setback left its mark.

Get the full story, Clint Walper, Whig-Standard

Colts Off to OFSAA

xenie — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 12:04:58 +0000

Cory Verwegen has had a love affair with volleyball since the fourth grade.
“I love everything about the sport,” said the co-captain of the St. Clair Colts senior boys volleyball team.
So it was only fitting in his last high school game ever on his home floor, Verwegen helped lead the Colts to their second straight Southwestern Ontario Secondary Schools Athletic Association ‘AA’ championship.
The Colts needed only a hour to sweep past the Leamington Carter Cardinal Cougars by scores of 25-18, 25-14 and 25-16 Thursday.
Winning championships is nothing new for Verwegen. “This is my fourth year of high school and we won the city championship all four years, (two in junior and two in senior), along with three
SWOSSAA titles, including the past two years in a year. It’s an awesome feeling.”

Get the full story, Dave Borody, The Observer

Thunderbirds Soar to Glory

xenie — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 13:32:28 +0000

It’s right where they expected to be all along.
And when the crowd poured out on to the court to celebrate, it was the sweetest moment of all in what has been a dream season for the Thunderbirds.
The Twin Lakes Secondary School senior boys’ volleyball team captured the school’s first Georgian Bay Secondary School Association championship on Tuesday with a straight-sets victory over St. Theresa’s
Catholic Secondary School in the final.
The win means that the Thunderbirds’ dream season will continue on to one more stage, the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations’ championships in Kingston in two weeks.
A colourful and loud Twin Lakes cheering section made noise on every point in helping propel the team to victory in their home gym.

Get the full story, from Matt Fleming, The Packet and Times

Canadian Athletes Telethon

xenie — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 11:00:41 +0000

The Canadian Athletes Now Fund and SHAW will be hosting an eight hour telethon this Sunday, Nov 16th. A portion of the money raised will go directly to help Canada’s volleyball players in their quest to train for future Olympics. The Canadian Athletes Now Fund helps to support all needy sports and athletes in our country.

I am passing on this message to you in hopes you will help support our elite volleyball players. If you do not have SHAW cable, you can still donate money by calling the telethon phone number, (1-888-742-9243). You can also share this with your volleyball team, your friends, and even relatives who live in Western Canada who may have SHAW cable in their homes. Don’t forget to forward it to your boss at work either. Extensive corporate funding is exactly what our athletes need.
If you run a volleyball league, please take the time to share this with your membership.

It is an excellent time to raise money for potential Olympic athletes. The funding allows for long-term training which is far more helpful than if it was just a few months before an Olympic games.
Note that whatever sum of money you donate, SHAW with match it. So if you can afford even $5, $10, or $20, your donation will be doubled.

In support of Canada’s Athletes,
Keith (VBallnews)

Website > http://www.canadianathletesnow.ca/articles/shaw-will-match-donations-dollar-for-dollar.html

Invaders Sweep

xenie — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 12:30:10 +0000

It didn’t take long for the Innisdale senior boys volleyball team to prove they are the best in the region.
First the Invaders swept into the gymnasium of Eastview Secondary School and then they swept aside the home Wildcats in three-straight sets to take the Georgian Bay ‘AAAA’ high school crown.
And, more impressive, they did it in just little over an hour.
A full-house crowd of split loyalties watched as the Invaders out-jumped, out-spiked, out-blocked and, ultimately, out-celebrated the Wildcats who were never able to settle down long enough to mount any form of consistent attack.
But it probably wouldn’t have mattered. The athletically superior Innisdale team controlled the pace of the game and never stopped supplying the pressure, which let them jump out to early leads in the first two sets and eventually, cruise to victory in the third.
Get the full story from Joseph Michael, The Barrie Examiner

Western Names Quigley

xenie — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 11:29:24 +0000

Years ago, what happened yesterday at Western would have been called a love-in.
If it was a movie, it would have earned two thumbs up.
Therese Quigley was officially introduced as Western’s new director of sports and recreation services, although she doesn’t take over until July 2009.
The room was packed by friends, coaches, administrators, family, media, some old, some young. Anyone looking for a sense of what the reaction was to the hiring didn’t have to look very far or long. It was a feel-good moment for the university and Quigley.
Some of her accomplishments include being three-time Ontario coach of the year in university volleyball. She’s president of Basketball Canada. She won national gold and silver medals with the Mustangs volleyball teams.

Get the full story from Morris Dalla Costa, London Free Press
More from CIS news

Trojans Letter Perfect

xenie — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 11:05:45 +0000

When the North Park Collegiate Trojans junior boys volleyball team lost its first game of the season, they did an unusual thing.
“The kids wrote us a letter after the first game of the season,”NPC coach Andrew Rawls said on Wednesday, after his team captured the Brant County championship with a 25-16, 25-21, 20- 25 and 25-23 victory against the Paris District High School Panthers at NPC.
“They were apologizing for losing. We told them it was okay, that they could start a new streak for us.”
Losing isn’t usually a big deal, but the NPC junior boys volleyball team hasn’t done much of it during the past three seasons. During that time, the Trojans have lost just one game — the first one of this season — in Brant County play, hence the letter to their coaches.

Get the full New Streak Story from Brian Smiley, Brantford Expositor