OVA News

After starting off on a positive note, the McMaster women’s volleyball team lost an Ontario University Athletics game 3-2 in sets against the Brock Badgers on Friday (Jan. 7).

The Marauders took the opening set, 25-21, lost the next two, 25-21 and 25-20, rebounded for a 25-20 win but dropped the final set 15-7. The game was Mac’s first since the Christmas break and leaves the Marauders with a 3-6 record for ninth place in the OUA’s 13-team league.

Kailee Stock had a team-high 18 points for the Marauders, all in kills, and recorded another 16 digs. Middle blocker Shannon McRobert also reached double-digit points with 16, 11 of those points coming from kills, four blocks, and an ace. Rookie Lauren Mastroluisi added 10 more points for McMaster with eight kills and two blocks and setter Amanda Weldon recorded 42 assists and 13 digs. Libero Meagan Nederveen dug up a game-high 20 balls for the Marauders.

For the Badgers, Lucy McLay earned a game-high 20 kills along with 20 digs and Rachel Roorda added another 15 points. Jennifer McKenzie and Lauren Stirling recorded 12 and 11 points, respectively and setter Ally Fast earned 47 assists in Brock’s win.

Story from McMaster Athletics as posted on HamiltonScores.com

The Wildcat 16U Girls’ Volleyball Team captured the silver medal at the 16U Challenge Cup held December 17th at Twin Lakes S.S. in Orillia.

Seeded 6th entering the tournament, the team won their pool defeating the Barrie Cubs 25-18 and 25-19 in their first match then knocked off the tournament’s number 1 seed, DRVC {Durham Regional Volleyball Club} 16 Orange 25-12 and 25-23. In their quarter-final match-up, the Wildcats defeated the #3 seed, Barrie Elite Blues in straight sets to advance to the semis against the Storm Hurricanes where the Cats won in three sets, 25-13, 23-25, 15-12.

In the finals against another tough and well coached DRVC team, the Cats lost in three sets 20-25, 25-22, 9-15. The DRVC team last year won the National Championship and were a worthy recipient of the gold medal.

The Cats illustrated their poise, resilience and competitiveness against one of the premier teams in Ontario by competing despite losing their premier middle blocker, Brittany Coughlin, due to injury prior to the match.

Team members who competed at the tournament included Morgan Lafontaine, Kayla Battigaglia, Maddy Waller, Micaela Wolfe, Cassie Dobson, Brittany Coughlin, Kylie Burns, Mackenze Wolfe an Erin Hebert. The team was coached by John Jeffries, Ken Coughlin and Rick Vanderlee.

Story by Chris Dawson for BayToday.ca

Never underestimate the power of teamwork.

It took the 14U Purple team deep into the play-offs of the Trillium Challenge Cup at Jacob Hespeler in Cambridge. Bolstered by solid serving and defense the 9th-seeded Predators, played on Saturday December 17th and faced the number one seeded Niagara Rapids Black in their first match and lost in game two, 23-25, after an 8-1 lead.  Despite the tough loss, a strong motivation from the group proved they were there to medal, and in the second match of pool play dominated Burlington Blaze 13U in two straight, 25-7, 25-8.

During the first match of play-offs the Predators ousted Waterloo Tigers Black, 25-8, 25-6.  The two straight, 25-12, 25-10, crushing wins over Niagara Rapids Blue in the second play-off game, advanced the team to the semi-finals against the skillful Hamilton Smash.  Solid teamwork from a deep bench, stellar serving from Jessica Moua and aggressive attacking sealed the deal in two straight, 25-13, 25-18. The girls fired up, were guaranteed to medal.

In the gold medal match, the team once again faced the talented Niagara Rapids Black. After a shaky start, down 7-2, the team rallied to tie at 12 but surrendered to a narrow defeat, 20-25. Determined, the young team, with a gutsy performance continued to push the Rapids to battle for each point. The Preds clinched silver in game two with a final score, 20-25.  Defeated and spent, each girl smiled proudly with the accomplishment of earning her first ever OVA medal. Silver this time but a gold is in sight.

Story from the Kitchener-Waterloo Predator Post Gazette.

Durham College is set to host the top collegiate women’s volleyball teams in Canada at the 24th annual Adidas Cup taking place from January 6-7, 2012.

The tournament will serve off the new year of CCAA women’s volleyball with play set to start on Friday, January 6 at the Campus Recreation & Wellness Centre (CRWC) at noon. Play will continue through Saturday, January 7 with the championship final scheduled for 6 p.m.

2012 will mark the 24th anniversary of the Durham College women’s volleyball tournament. Friday’s action will consist of round robin play (two straight sets) which will continue into Saturday, followed by the playoffs (best three of five).

Led by fourth year head coach Shane Christopher, the Durham Lords are featured in pool B. They will be joined by the Canadian Mennonite University Blazers from Winnipeg, Manitoba and other OCAA opponents including Niagara, Loyalist, Canadore and Sheridan.

The three-time defending Adidas Cup champion Humber Hawks are the early favourites to win pool A. The Hawks are 9-0 in OCAA conference action this season and are the top ranked team in Ontario. They will be joined by the Cambrian Golden Shield who enter 2012 as the top ranked team in the East region with a 10-0 record. Georgian, Mohawk, Fleming and St. Clair will also be looking to knock off the defending champs in pool A action.

Over the past 12 years, the Lords made their only championship final appearance in 2003-04, where they went on to defeat the Cambrian Golden Shield 2-1 to win the cup.

The Adidas Cup has become a highly regarded tournament in the volleyball community and is one of the biggest and most anticipated invitationals on the CCAA sports calendar.

The tournament will be a preview for the OCAA Provincial Championship scheduled to take place at Georgian College from February 23-25, 2012.

PARTICIPATING TEAMS
Pool A
Cambrian (Sudbury, Ont.)
Fleming (Peterborough, Ont.)
Georgian (Barrie, Ont.)
Humber (Etobicoke, Ont.)
Mohawk (Hamilton, Ont.)
St. Clair (Windsor, Ont.)

Pool B
Canadian Mennonite (Winnipeg, MB)
Canadore (North Bay, Ont.)
Durham (Oshawa, Ont.)
Loyalist (Belleville, Ont.)
Niagara (Welland, Ont.)
Sheridan (Oakville, Ont.)

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
http://www.durhamlords.com/tournaments/2011-wvb-cup.htm

PAST RESULTS
2010-11 – Humber defeated Mohawk 3-0
2009-10 – Humber defeated Nipissing 3-0
2008-09 – Humber defeated Lionel-Groulx 2-1
2007-08 – Mohawk defeated Fanshawe 2-0
2006-07 – Nipissing defeated Humber 2-0
2005-06 – Humber defeated Mohawk 2-1
2004-05 – No winner declared – Snowed out (play suspended)
2003-04 – Durham defeated Cambrian 2-1
2002-03 – Humber defeated Cambrian 2-0
2001-02 – Ryerson defeated Humber 2-0
2000-01 – Humber defeated Algonquin 2-0

Story from BoxScoreNews.com

Mountain Volleyball Club is ringing in the New Year with a golden bell after winning three gold medals in the first half of the Ontario Volleyball Association season.

The MVC 16U team finished fifth in its first tournament and charged back winning Gold and moving up a division at the 16U Girls Challenge Cup held in Hamilton.

MVC was undefeated in pool play and went on to defeat MVC 15U, 2-0 in games in the quarters, the Etobicoke Titans 15U, 2-1, in the semi finals, and the Halton Hurricanes Black, 2-1, for the Gold medal.

Coached by Steve Bonazza and Ben Goerzen of St. Catharines players include: Hayley Genovy, Stoney Creek; Madison Lenders, Stoney Creek; Kiana Mammolite, Stoney Creek; Victoria Golebiowski, Glanbrook; Brianna Layard, Burlington; Jenna Mazza-Anthony, Stoney Creek; Savannah Browne, Hamilton; Katiana Pare, Hamilton; Chelsea McShane, Niagara-on-the-Lake; Erin Harper, St. Catharines; Libby Donevan, St. Catharines; Kinsley Child, St. Catharines; and Joslyn Bortolussi, St. Catharines.

Not to be outdone, the MVC 15U team won Gold and moved up a division at the 15U Trillium Provincial Cup in Cambridge.

Undefeated in pool play, MVC 15U defeated the Waterloo Tigers White, 2-0, in the quarter finals, Oakville Thunder White, 2-0, in the semi-finals, and the Georgetown Impact, 2-1, to claim first place.

The coaches of the MVC 15U team are Denis Levesque of Hamilton, Meghan Boyle of Ancaster, and Michael Hall of Hamilton. Players include: Alessandra Assaf, Ancaster; Alyssa Borges, Binbrook; Madison Rowe, Glanbrook; Natasha Burns. Hamilton; Nicole Cashin, Dundas; Adele Olejarz, Dundas; Charlotte Rose, Dundas; Nicole Gwiazdowicz, Dundas; Kate Kalenchuk, Hamilton; Jordan Koslowski, Hamilton; Braeden Rumple, Waterdown; and Rachel Doric, Waterdown.

And to cap the trifecta, the MVC 17U team returned home with Gold and moved up a division at the 17U Provincial Cup held in Kitchener.

Finishing second in pool play, MVC 17U pushed on to win the quarter finals over Oakville Thunder Blue 16U, 2-0, the Oakville Thunder Blue 17U, 2-0, in the semifinals and the Georgetown Impact, 2-1, to win the Gold medal.

The MVC 17U team is coached by Jos Nederveen of Dundas and Mike Fuchs of Binbrook. Players include: Kirsten Bialachowski, Stoney Creek; Caitlyn Genovy, Stoney Creek; Brooke Lahaie, Waterdown; Leah Feurstake, Waterdown; Randi Carey, Waterdown; Leah Sharp, Dundas; Mary-Kate Alliston, Ancaster; Maicee Sorensen, Hamilton; Ina Onat, Hamilton; Olivia Colling, Grimsby; Kaitlyn Mattiozzi, Hamilton; and Jessica Klassen, Hamilton.

The MVC 13U and the 14U teams finished in fourth at both their Provincial Cup tournaments.

The MVC 13U team is coached by Peter Stratford of Burlington and Denis Levesque of Hamilton. Players include Julia Perco, Stoney Creek; Elisa Mejia, Stoney Creek; Khloe Mattiozzi, Hamilton; Kate Keeting, Milton; Christina Stratford, Burlington; Meghan Burns, Hamilton; Felicia Malavolta, Hamilton; Meredith Elstone, Hamilton; Zofia Olejarz, Dundas; and Emily Arthur.

The MVC 14U team is coached by Jos Nederveen of Dundas, Ashley Muir and Laurie Fernandez of Hamilton. The MVC 14U team athletes are: Lillia Olejarz, Dundas; Marta Matuzonyte, Ancaster; Nicole Roberge, Ancaster; Zoe Cleland, Ancaster; Miranda Dowling, Ancaster; Olivia Rogers, Hamilton; Maria McFarland, Hamilton; Nesreen Khalaf, Hamilton; Kyanna Enisan, Hamilton; Maddy McDonagh, Hamilton; Cathryn Webb, Hamilton; Olivia Stibbe, Milton; Jordan McCoy, Stoney Creek; and Roberta Todd, Stoney Creek.

Story from HamiltonScores.com

At the 2011 OVAtion Awards Banquet, two groups of extraordinary volunteers were recognized for their accomplishments and contributions to the Ontario Volleyball community. The 2009 Canada Games Team Coaches and the outgoing OVA Board Members were honoured with Tribute Awards at the ceremony, which took place December 3rd, 2011.

2009 Canada Games Coaches
Canada Games is the highest profile and most prestigious event a province can compete in and is considered the Olympics for developing athletes. Of course a lot of work went into preparing our teams for Canada Games and the lion’s share of that work needed to be done by the coaches. These dedicated coaches spent numerous hours scouting athletes, organizing tryouts, creating training schedules, planning practices, and performing a million and one other tasks needed to run a successful program.  Throughout the spring and summer, our teams trained long hours together, lived together, ate residence food together, and shared a common goal, a gold medal!

All in all, Canada Games was a tremendous success for volleyball in our province. Ontario teams finished with a combined record of 23 wins and 3 loses and took home a record four medals. Winning a medal in both genders of both disciplines had never been accomplished in the history of Canada Games volleyball and is a testament to the efforts each one of our coaches made.

The 2009 Canada Games Coaches were as follows:

Men’s Beach Volleyball

• Jason Hubbard

Women’s Beach Volleyball

• Laura Inward

Women’s Indoor Volleyball

• Assistant Coach, Nick Tran
• Assistant Coach, Cathy O’Doherty
• Head Coach, Arif Nathoo

Men’s Indoor Volleyball

• Assistant Coach, Jeremy Hannay
• Assistant Coach, Jeff Chung
• Head Coach, Shayne White

Outgoing Board Members
The OVA would like to take this time to thank the outgoing Regional Presidents for their hard work and dedication over the past few years.

• Tom Sutton, Region 2 President 2009-2011
• Bob Mann, Region 3 President, 2008-2011
• Ed Turalinski, Region 5 President, 2009-2011

The Corporate Recognition Award is presented to a corporation or partner of the OVA that has made significant contributions to the Association and its programs. Two corporations, Mikasa Sports Canada and Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), were honoured this year with the Corporate Recognition Award at the OVAtion Awards Banquet held on December 3rd, 2011.

Mikasa Sports Canada
When one thinks of iconic brands in volleyball, Mikasa Sports, comes to mind. This is a brand synonymous with high performance excellence in sports, and volleyball is no exception. Mikasa is a tremendous partner of the OVA and is the official volleyball of the OVA’s Indoor and Beach Programs.  Mikasa Sports Canada’s National Sales and Marketing Manager, Brian Mills, was on hand to accept the Award on Mikasa’s behalf.

Royal Bank of Canda (RBC)
The OVA embarked on an exciting new partnership with RBC this past season.  RBC is an OVA Beach Tour sponsor and we look forward to expanding the partnership in years ahead.  RBC also demonstrates its backing of high performance volleyball with its support of the RBC Olympian Program which includes Ontario’s own Beach Volleyball athlete, Christian Redmann.  Christian was on hand to accept the Award on RBC’s behalf.

The Officials’ Award of Merit was established in 1998 and is presented biannually at the OVAtion Awards Banquet by the Officials’ Committee in recognition of dedicated service to volleyball in Ontario.

At this year’s Awards Banquet, two officials were recognized for their outstanding contributions to the sport:

Eric Lawlor

• For over 10 years, Eric has served as the National Officials Liaison with Volleyball Canada and has served on the OVA Beach Committee
• He has conducted and assisted in running local clinics to certify new beach officials and has been a mentor for all levels of officials over the years
• Eric has served as Referee Supervisor at numerous FIVB events (2006 Bermuda, 2011 Quebec City, 2011 Halifax) and has officiated at numerous OVA events as Mentor or Head Official and has worked as an Official or Referee Supervisor at Volleyball Canada Beach National Championships for over 10 years.

Lynn Watkins

• Lynn Watkins has been an official for over 20 years.
• During this time she has been and currently is the Region 4 Officials Chair and has been a member of the Provincial Officials Committee, which is responsible for overseeing officials’ development in the province of Ontario.
• In her role as the Regional Officials Chair, Lynn is responsible for the organization and development of Officiating Programs as well as the management and distribution of officiating assignments for volleyball with in her Region.
• She facilitates the delivery of local and provincial upgrade programs, while serving as a mentor for younger officials in her Region.  She actively seeks opportunities for top officials from her region to travel elsewhere in order to increase their exposure and experience.

At the 2011 OVAtion Awards Banquet the OVA recognized the achievements of four excellent coaches, honouring them as Coaches of the Year. The OVA Male and Female Development Coach of the Year Award is presented to coaches for their history in developing athletes and teams within the OVA and for their contribution to the development of our sport in the province. The Mike Bugarski Coach of the Year Award is presented to two outstanding coaches (one female, one male) for their success in the previous season and for their contribution to the development of our sport in the province.
The Development Coach of the Year and Mike Bugarski Coach of the Year Awards were awarded to the following recipients:

Female Development Coach of the Year: Lorraine Facca, Storm VBC

• Lorraine started coaching while her daughter Louise first entered the OVA competitive stream.
• Lorraine values true sport and fair play and focuses on these two values in her every day practice and game play situation.
• Lorraine coached her 17U Girls B team and then moved with them for their 18U season. At 17U, they played equal playing time and everyone was happy and learned a lot from her and her co-coach Don Morton. In the second year with the girls, Lorraine asked them if they wanted to play equal playing time again and the vote was unanimous “yes”.  Lorraine decided that the team would play this way all season long, to further develop the girls playing skills. They played that way all season, including at the Ontario Championships where they not only had a great time, but they finished 2nd in Division 2 Tier 1!
• On top of her team coaching duties, Lorraine also runs Setters Clinics for the Storms younger athletes throughout certain stages of the season to further hone their skills.

Male Development Coach of the Year: Paul Langan – Hespeler Scorpions VBC

• For over 17 years, Paul has helped with various sports organizations in a variety of functions.  In 2010, his goal was simple when he started the Hespeler Scorpions Volleyball Club – get kids off the computer and have them physically active playing volleyball in a fun, safe, affordable environment.
• His MONSTER and SPIKES programs, are a fun way to teach young people about volleyball.   The clubs purpose is simple, to provide community based learning to young people about volleyball.
• The Scorpions follow and support the Volleyball Canada Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) Model and they use parents, local competitive high school and university players who are trained by OVA staff to help run their programs.
• In their first year of existence, the success of the program has been remarkable:
  • Their Grade 7/8 co-ed Developmental House League Program was the largest in the Waterloo Region, with plans to expand it to include Grade 9 in 2012.
  • Their OVA SPIKES Learn to Play Program was the largest program in Ontario – they had over 200 children playing in their house league!
• Their U15 competitive girl’s teams won four tournament medals including a OVA Provincial Division 2 Tier 1 Silver Medal in their first year.
• In the summer of 2011, the Scorpions delivered two camps for indoor and beach volleyball and have seven of their teams participating in the OVA Beach Tour circuit.  Their goal is to have a development program in place for the general public in 2012.
• On top of indoor and beach volleyball, Paul recognizes the importance of inclusiveness and is currently working with the OVA staff to deliver one of the first sitting volleyball house league programs in the province of Ontario.

Female Coach of the Year: Laura Inward

• She started her involvement with the Ontario Beach Provincial program in the summer of 2007 and continued through 2008 and 2009.
• In 2009, Laura was the Head Coach for Team Ontario at the Canada Games in Prince Edward Island. Her team of Caleigh Whitaker and Dianne Burrows won the bronze medal after a summer of consistent results and improvement. Whitaker is now a national team athlete within our beach program and Laura continues to serve as a mentor and trusted confidant as she continues her pursuit of sporting excellence.
• Laura coached, mentored and guided her team of Charlotte Sider and Alexandra Hudson to a 9th place finish at the FIVB World Junior Championships in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 2011. Earlier in the summer she coached them to become U21 Provincial champions as well as U21 National champions.
  • These accomplishments in and of themselves are truly outstanding, but when one considers that Charlotte Sider was competing in Beach Volleyball for her first summer of competition, these feats really speak to Laura’s role as coach, mentor and friend.
• Laura has developed a unique holistic approach to coaching and mentoring young female athletes that makes her a positive role within our volleyball community. Laura considers the whole individual before developing an integrated program of physical training, mental preparation and emotional control. Her compassionate, understanding nature allows her to connect with her young female athletes and develop a relationship of trust and respect that fosters a productive learning environment.
• When Laura is not on the beach she is never far from the game she loves. During the indoor season, she volunteers her time at the University of Toronto as an assistant coach under the tutelage of Kristine Drakich. Laura is a former Varsity Blue herself and giving back to the program is another way that she positively affects the young women she coaches.
• As a mother of two young boys aged 3 and 7, Laura has proven to be a tireless and committed coach and mentor to the young women she takes under her care. The passion and compassion she has exhibited in her role makes her an incredibly positive role model.

Male Coach of the Year: Rob Fernley, Defensa

• Rob Fernley is the head of Defensa VBC and acted as the Head Coach between two teams in the past 2010/2011 season.
• Since the club began four years ago, Defensa teams have consistently competed in provincial championship matches and earned top place finishes across Ontario, Canada and in several tournaments in the United States. Some of their team highlights include:
  • Both teams winning the national championships
  • 18U won the provincial championships
  • 16U earned bronze at provincials
  • Both teams earned medals at all of the OVA tournaments throughout the season
• His coaching abilities have helped his players achieve:
  • 2 Defensa players receive the title of National MVP’s at the 2011 National Championship in the 18U and 16U division
  • For the past three years, consistently 2 or more Defensa players (in both 18U and 16U) recognized as OVA All-Stars at the Provincial Championship
  • Three players (one 18U and two 16U) received All-Star recognition at the 2011 National Championships
  • One player won the Evelyn Hollick Award at the 2011 Provincial Championships
  • 10 Defensa players to made the Provincial team in the past two years, where both times the MVP recipient of the NTCC was a member of Defensa
  • 6 players are members of the Provincial Beach volleyball team
  • An 18U player made the National B Team
• Outside of Defensa, Fernley:
  • Coaches the boys volleyball team at the local high school (Assumption SS in Burlington, ON)
  • Encourages athletes to train in the ADP development program for indoor and beach (ADP, Regionals, HPC and the Provincial Team) and organizes workshops for athletes to train at a higher level.

The OVA’s Special Achievement Award is presented bi-annually at the OVAtion Awards Banquet to an individual to recognize an outstanding contribution to volleyball at the provincial level for 15 years or more.  The recipient of the 2011 Special Achievement Award is John Long.

John started playing volleyball in his native Switzerland. In Canada, his playing experience includes setting for the U of T Varsity Blues, playing in the Ontario A/AA leagues, and, finally, competing at the Golden Masters level in the USVBA National Championships.

After graduating from the University of Toronto, John taught physical education for 31 years in Etobicoke Middle Schools, coaching numerous volleyball, track & field, cross-country championship teams before retiring in 1998.

John and his wife, Valerie, founded The Etobicoke Volleyball Association – Toronto West in 1969. Since then, John has spent much of his time managing the club and coaching male and female teams from Age Division 12U to Sr. AA calibre. John’s program of effective club funding has made it possible for Toronto West to maintain membership fees at a reasonable level during times of escalating costs.

Over the decades, John has also served on the OVA Region 5 Board of Directors, conducted clinics for referees, and officiated at competitions ranging from local to international levels of play.

Since his retirement from teaching, John has had more time to focus on elite club development and administration. John and Val also run the Islington Youth Club, which offers yearly youth programming in various forms of art as well as cross-training for aspiring volleyball players and other athletes. During the summer months, John and Val also run volleyball and multi-activity day camps.