OVA News

The OVA Achievement Award is presented to an individual who has had an impact on volleyball development at the regional or provincial level for 10 years or more. This year the OVA honoured 8 Achievement Award recipients at the bi-annual OVAtion Awards Banquet held on December 3rd, 2011.

The 2011 Achievement Award Winners are:

Denis Levesque

• Denis has been coaching for over 15 years in the Golden Horseshoe region and has been an integral part of the development of female volleyball players between the ages of 12 to 17
• Since 2006, Denis has been part of the coaching staff of first the Mountain Athletic Club and most recently, the Mountain Volleyball Club (MVC) where he currently coaches the 15u team.
• Denis is heavily involved in the administration of the club as an executive member, Denis has run leadership sessions for club coaches and athletes, a job he also dedicates himself to in the summer at the Ministry of Education Leadership Camp (OELC) at Lake Couchiching.
• Denis has extended his coaching involvement beyond the MVC club system, coaching both junior and senior boys and girls at the elementary school where he has taught and coached for fifteen years.
• In addition, Denis often volunteers a portion of his summer assisting athletes at Madawaska Volleyball Camp or at the Elite Centers run by the Ontario Volleyball Association and has acted as coach for the regional team for Region 3.
• Denis is also an integral part of the developmental side of the Mountain Volleyball Club where he helps design and implement LTAD friendly curriculum that is used in both our house league and summer camp programs

Cathy O’Doherty

• Cathy has been coaching for over 26 and is recognized as a coach and leader of athletics not only at the High School level in Ottawa, but for the volleyball in the Province of Ontario.
• She is a founding member of the national Capital Volleyball Club, now known as Ottawa Fusion, and continues as a coach and board member.
• She spends countless hours counseling and advocating for players as they move on to post-secondary institutions. Her philosophy of coaching is not that much different than what she uses in her classroom — respect, dedication, teamwork and fair play.
• Cathy is a Learning Facilitator and runs Coaching courses for the OVA in the Ottawa Region.
• Cathy was also a member of the 2009 Canada Games Team Coaching staff, which won a silver medal at the Games in PEI.

Mike Russell

• Mike has assisted the OVA by hosting OVA Tournaments, Coaching Clinics and Officials clinics for many years and has been a part of the Region 5 Executive
• Mike was the Manager of the Boys Provincial Team in 2011
• He has helped to develop countless number of players to achieve higher levels of success in volleyball.
• Current Assistant Coach at Sheridan Men’s and former Head Coach of Sheridan’s women’s program, and the former Assistant at McMaster University
• Mike has hosted many OFSAA Championships, including the first ever all-in-one Boys event at one location in 2010 – creating one of the biggest events for boys volleyball that was truly province wide (A to AAAA)
• On top of his OVA volunteerism, Mike is currently coaching at Rick Hansen SS and Applewood ES

Beth Schulz

• Beth is the past president of Niagara Rapids VBC and currently serves as the registrar for the Club.
• She is currently coaching the 15U Black Niagara Rapids Girls Team for the 2011/12 season.
• Beth has set up and delivers SPIKES volleyball house league programs in St. Catharines and Niagara Falls for children in grades five and six and has even begun a mini-SPIKES program to deliver the fundamentals of volleyball skills to children in grades 1-4.
• On top of her duties with Niagara Rapids, Beth has assisted the OVA over the years by delivering SPIKES On the Road volleyball day programs throughout schools in Ontario as well as by coaching at Regional Team Training Centres and FUNdamentals Centres.

Andrew Robb

• Andrew is a National beach referee and an International Candidate for indoor volleyball.
• For the past six years, Andrew has also contributed to the sport of volleyball through his work as the Region 5 Officials’ Chair, as well as the Senior Assignor for Region 5.
• Andrew actively evaluates Regional Upgrade candidates as an assistant to the Regional Upgrade Program Chair and provides the candidates with valuable feedback to further develop and hone their officiating skills.
• As Region 5 ROC, Andrew also oversees the Provincial Mentorship Program and is responsible for assigning a mentor to each Provincial candidate and monitoring their progress each season.
• Final confirmation of Andrew’s promotion to International referee is expected from FIVB in early 2012.

John May

• John, the founder of Crush Volleyball, is currently the head coach of the Crush 18U Boys team.  Crush has won 10 National Indoor Championships and 8 Provincial Indoor Championships since it was founded 6 years ago. On the beach Crush athletes have won Provincial, National, and World Championships.
• Coached Mark Heese and John Child at the Olympics in 2004 and coached Child/Heese and Ahren Cadieux and Mark Heese on FIVB World Tour.
• John is a 3-Time OUA Champion as a player and a member of the York University Athletic Hall of Fame.  He has also coached the U of T Women’s Team to an OUA Title.

Yolanda MacKinnon

• Yolanda has developed the volleyball community at the grass roots level in Thunder Bay including starting an OVA SPIKES program.
• Yolanda has worked in many capacities with the OVA’s Athlete Development Programs helping to further develop athletes and coaches  in the Region 1 area and across Ontario.
• Yolanda is a former OVA Region 1 President

Kevin Hellyer

• Kevin is currently the head coach of the Durham Attack U17 Black female team, but has coached teams at the U13-17 level, achieving medal success at Provincial and National Championships.  Kevin is also the lead coach at the Durham Attack Summer Camp.
• Kevin has also been a member of the Region Coaching programs.  He has coached both at the Regional Games and the Ontario Summer Games, winning a gold medal at the 2008 Games.
• His ability to work collaboratively with others has allowed him to develop a number of coaches, while also developing his coaching.

At the OVAtion Awards Banquet on December 3rd, 2011 the Recognition Award was presented to 13 outstanding individuals in the volleyball community. The Recognition Award is presented to an individual who has been involved in the development of volleyball at the club or local community level for 5 years or more.

The 2011 Recognition Award recipients are:

Chris Dunn – Durham Attack VBC

• He is presently a coach with the Durham Attack Volleyball Club and prior to that a member of the DRVC program.  He has worked with a number of age groups, but devoted much of his energy to building strong U13 and U14 programs, emphasizing the development of strong basic skills.  As both a teacher and club coach, he takes pride in developing athletes and providing them with the foundation for future success.
• In his years with the Durham Attack Volleyball Club, Chris has worked diligently to improve the experience for all athletes in our club.  It was his leadership that lead to a more “athlete friendly” tryout experience, encouraging all coaches to make individual contact with athletes and assist them in their growth with more contact and feedback.

Lorraine Facca  – Storm VBC

• Lorraine has been involved with Region 5 in some capacity, where she currently stands as the Secretary/Treasurer for the past 15+ years and is still active in volleyball
• During the 2010/11 OVA season, Lorraine made her way out of the gym to a board room, where she worked closely with the OVA’s Strategic Planning Committee to deliver the 2011-2015 OVA Strategic Plan
• In May 2011, tragedy struck the Facca family when Lorraine’s husband, Adrian Facca lost his battle with cancer. In his memory, Lorraine has spearheaded the Adrian Facca Leadership Fund to provide financial support to the Dalhousie University student-athletes on the men’s hockey and women’s volleyball teams.  The Adrian Facca Leadership Fund is an outstanding contribution towards the development of future leaders through varsity hockey, volleyball and scholastics at Dalhousie University.

Lawrence Flynn – Durham Attack VBC

• Presently he is the lead coach for the U14 boy’s team, but he has worked with a number of age groups, both as an assistant and a head coach.
• Lawrence joined Durham Attack when his son was an athlete, but has remained long after his son has left the sport.  He is eager to share his love of volleyball with others, but also embraces the opportunity to learn more about coaching and developing his skill.
• Lawrence is an ambassador for sitting volleyball and has been an inspiration to our club.  He has exposed our young athletes to another aspect of their sport and has encouraged partnerships between our club and the National team program.  His desire to have athletes of all abilities playing and enjoying volleyball together has been instrumental in our club’s recent grant and inclusion of sitting volleyball in our recreational programs.

Howie Grossinger – Storm VBC

• Howie has been coaching his OVA team, Storm Avalanche since they started in 2006 and have had  a very impressive track record:
  • In 2006, 12U Team winning the Ontario Championships
  • In 2008. won the 14U West Nationals
  • In 2009. Placed 3rd at 15U West Nationals
  • In 2010, placed 2nd at 16U West Nationals
  • In 2011, won gold at the 17U Nationals
• On top of OVA accomplishments, Howie is the owner of Camp Robinhood – a day a sports camps where children can further develop their athletic skills by selecting from a variety of sports that are offered each session and is owner of Madawaska Camp.

Ish Joseph, B-Fitt Thunderbolts

• Ish Joseph has had a long and very successful history of volunteer involvement and coaching, as well as promoting the sport of volleyball, both at the grassroots level, and the competitive OVA level.
• Ish is a well-known leader in the community who has often been lauded for championing no-cost programming for at-risk youth. He has worked with the Toronto Police Services to establish programs in areas plagued by violent crimes. For many of those young people, Ish’s programs have been their lifeline, helping them to stay positive, focused and hopeful about the future. He continues to be dedicated to helping youth empower themselves to make positive choices and become leaders in the community.
• Ish has coached the B-Fitt Thunderbolts 18U Boys team, 18U Girls Toronto Diamonds VB, has been the Elite training coach for the Scarborough Falcons VBC and Scarborough Titans VBC, and worked with Region 5 Beach teams since 1997

Denise Klenk

• Denise is a level 3 regional official and she currently works as an assignor for R5 for OVA youth indoor events and also assigns officials for the entire OVA Beach Tour each summer
• Denise is a respected official in both the indoor and beach game by both athletes and officials alike.
• Denise is also a mentor for young officials looking to upgrade their badge level – for indoor and beach officiating programs and is a role model for those involved in the sport of volleyball

Dave McAllister

• Provincial Men’s Team Head Coach 2011 & 2010
• Former Region 5 boys head coach
• High school coach at Rick Hansen  and won the OFSAA Leadership in School Sport Award in 2010
• Current Head Coach Sheridan College and a former Assistant Coach McMaster

Arif Nathoo - Eclipse

• A two time OUA Coach of the Year, Arif has been the head coach at York University and led the York Lions to 2009 OUA Provincial Championship. Prior to that, Arif coached at Ryerson University where he led the team to their first ever OUA playoff appearance, their first ever OUA medal and led Ryerson University to its only appearance at a CIS Volleyball championship.
• In the summer of 2009, Arif led the 2009 Ontario Provincial team to a silver medal at the Canada Games.
• In 2007, Arif coached the Ontario Provincial Team to a bronze medal at the National Tournament, and in 2005, coached the Region 5 team to a gold medal at the Ontario Regional Games.
• With the younger athletes, Arif was head coach of the Durham Attack 14U team and during the 2009-2010 season, Arif led the 14U team to an impressive season culmination with an OVA Ontario Provincial Championship and to a silver at the Canadian National East tournament.
• He continued coaching a young group of girls, and in 2011, won the Ontario Championships and Canadian National West Championship banners.
• Arif is a fully certified Level 3 Coach and promotes volleyball both within the Ismaili community and outside their community.

Karen Pak – Toronto Premier Youth VBC

• Karen has been involved with Team Ontario Beach as assistant coach between 2007-2009 and attended the U19 World Championships as an Assistant Beach Coach between 2009 and 2010.
• In 2011, Karen began the Toronto Premier Youth Volleyball Club running a 14U Girls team
• Outside of the OVA stream, Karen is a teacher and coach at Victoria Park CI and in 2010, she started the first ever annual Toronto District School Board Beach Volleyball Tournament. In 2011, she brought 81 junior and senior boys and girls beach teams down to Ashbridges Bay to compete in her day long tournament.

Mike  Richardson – Durham Attack VBC

• Mike is a coach with the Durham Attack Volleyball Club, working with the girl’s and boy’s programs, offering to assist or head coach if needed and has also worked with the Region Four Boys Summer Games program as an assistant coach.
• He is an eager participant in all coaching development session, embracing new opportunities to learn from others.
• For Mike, the needs of the athletes comes first and it is this belief that has seen him take on a variety of different coaching roles, all in order to better meet the needs of the athletes.
• Mike is always willing to lend a hand and assist wherever he is needed.    Mike is willing to volunteer to improve the club, assuming more than coaching roles if that is what is needed.

Meghan Boyle – MVC

• Meghan coaches at Mountain Volleyball Club in Hamilton, ON. She is currently the assistant coach with the 15U Girls team.

Linda Naccarato – Durham Attack VBC

• Linda is presently an assistant coach with the Durham Attack Volleyball Club at the U14 level, but she has worked with a number of age groups, both as an assistant and a head coach.
• Linda has stepped forward on a number of occasions to offer her services so that there will be teams for athletes to play.  She has carried this same attitude into the public school setting, working as a parent-coach, so that teams could be created at both the elementary and secondary level.
• She has mentored a number of young coaches, providing valuable leadership and a positive role model for their coaching development.  She is a constant positive source of inspiration and her desire to help athletes develop is evident in everything she does.

Rob Piccione - Durham Attack VBC

• Rob is presently a coach with the Durham Attack Volleyball Club and prior to that a member of the Titans program.  He has worked with a number of age groups, but devoted much of his energy to building strong U14 and U15 programs, emphasizing the development of strong basic skills.  As both a teacher and club coach, he takes pride in developing athletes and providing them with the foundation for future success.
• He has coaching certification in both the indoor and the beach programs and is committed to LTAD, working collaboratively with other coaches to develop more successful programs.
• He has mentored a number of young coaches, providing valuable leadership and a positive role model for their coaching development.

It’s an unconventional approach, but the Ottawa Mavericks own the proof of success as their three 15-and-under girls’ teams finished at the top of a November Ontario Volleyball Association regional tournament.

The club is mixing around all players from the 15U level for each event and will only select set teams at the end of January.

“They get a chance to play with a variety of players and all three head coaches,” explains coach Colin Walker, whose Stampede girls came out on top. “It is rewarding to see that our unique situation is being rewarded with strong results.”

Other early-season champions include the Walker-coached Ottawa Fusion 16U boys, the Fusion 14U girls, and 14U boys and 17U girls Mavs.

Story submitted by John Nguyen for the Ottawa Mavericks. Story from SportsOttawa.com

The Guelph Gryphons men’s volleyball team is pleased to announce the addition of Guelph native Tim Warnholtz to the program for the 2012-13 season

“Tim is a very gifted volleyball player and an even better man. His work ethic is second to none and he plays with unbelievable passion. We recruited Tim because he is the type of player that is not only a great talent but also a player of integrity and player that has a deep desire to play at the highest level possible,” said University of Guelph head coach Cal Wigston who feels Warnholtz is a top five recruit in the country.

“Tim had opportunities to go where ever he wanted to play but ultimately chose to stay in his home town to play in front of his family and friends.”

“Being from Guelph had an impact in my decision because family is important to me and being able to be close to them will be very nice,” said Warnholtz.

Warnholtz, a 6-5 right side comes from Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute (GCVI) where he played volleyball for four years. He was three times named the men’s volleyball MVP at GCVI and the junior male athlete of the year in grade 10.

Additionally he competed club volleyball for Forest City in London, Ont.  This past summer he competed with the U18 Provincial Team and won bronze at the National Team Challenge Cup (NTCC). He hopes to make the Canadian junior team next year after attending camp with the team this past year and looks forward to playing for the Gryphons next season.

“I chose the University of Guelph because the volleyball team has a very high potential for the next few years and I would love to be involved in that process and hopefully in some way help the team towards an OUA title,” said Warnholtz. “Also, the level of coaching that will be available to me will help in achieving my personal goals as well as team goals.”

Warnholtz hopes to pursue a Human Kinetics degree at the University of Guelph.

“Our program is committed to building a team that will compete at the CIS level and in order to do that we have to focus on skill and quality of character. Tim is a model for both,” said Wigston.

Athletes who commit to any Guelph Gryphon team will be eligible to compete provided they are academically admissible and eligible to the University of Guelph.

Story submitted by Michelle Pino for Gryphon Athletics, University of Guelph |Gryphons.ca

It’s a day to celebrate Emily Ruetter’s accomplishments.

The 17-year-old is sitting at a table at the front of the room at Nelson High School. Family members, friends and volleyball coaches take their turn posing behind her as cameras flash. Ruetter smiles, laughs and makes jokes about her lack of cooking skills.

Surrounded by people she knows so well, she’s at ease . . . even if she’s not totally comfortable with the position she finds herself in at the moment. In front of her is a letter of intent to play for the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

“I think if it was left to her, I don’t know if anybody would even know about this,” says Nelson volleyball coach Mitch Kleer.

Despite all her success on the volleyball court, Ruetter has been an absolute failure in one regard. One aspect she loves about being a setter is the anonymity it offers. Essentially, she’s the one putting the ball on the tee for the home run hitter.

“It’s usually the player that gets the big kill that gets all the attention,” she says. “I don’t want to be in the spotlight.”

And yet that’s exactly where Ruetter keeps finding herself.

When Defensa, her club team, won the provincial championship in the spring — winning nine matches without dropping a set — Ruetter was named the tournament’s most valuable player.

As the team was preparing for the national championships, Defensa coach Rob Fernley came to Ruetter the week before the tournament started.

“I figured we were just going to be doing drills and fine tuning,” Ruetter said at the time. “And Rob comes with a new way of setting.”

Ruetter not only made the adjustments, using her new setting technique, she was again named tournament MVP as Defensa won the Canadian U18 championship.

After being the foundation of a championship team, it should come as no surprise that she wants to continue to build. When it came time to choosing a school, she looked for one with an architecture program and decided on Texas Tech.

Now, the school in Lubbock, Tex., hopes it has a building block to improve upon last year’s 15-17 record.

“Emily is an all-around volleyball player who has the skills to become one of the elite setters in the Big 12,” said Texas Tech volleyball coach Don Flora. “Emily’s ability to analyze and think about the game and her position in particular, make her a quality addition.”

Last year, Ruetter led Nelson to a 9-1 record, but her importance to the team was evident when the team was upset in the semifinals while she was away at a club tournament in Ohio.

Because Ruetter has played in so many pressure-filled games, Nelson assistant coach Brittany Jackson says she does not get rattled.

“She calms the team,” Jackson said. “She really is a strong voice on the court, but without being heavy-handed.”

That calm demeanour is particularly important, considering Ruetter is involved on almost every play.

“The setter is the quarterback of a volleyball team,” Kleer said. “They have control over everything.”

A member of both the provincial beach and indoor teams, Ruetter enjoys being involved in the game. But another aspect of the position that the student with the 90 per cent average enjoys is outwitting her opponents.

“It’s figuring out how to trick the other team so they don’t know what you’re doing,” she said.

But if she thinks she can continue to remain anonymous while doing that, she’s not fooling anyone.

Story by Herb Garbutt for Metroland and the Toronto Star | TheStar.com

The Hespeler Scorpions Volleyball Club (Cambridge) had a double silver medal accomplishment this past Saturday with their U15 and U16 competitive girls teams.

The U15 team played up a year in the U16 division in St. Catherines. They played strong throughout the day. Coach Janet Cobbs-Mullholland’s team defeated Toronto West, Royal City Ravens, E381 Club without losing a set. In the semis they defeated the Niagara Rapids before losing in the finals.

The Scorpions U15  team are: Taylor Trush, Chey Omand, Maria Prudencio, Miranda Cullen, Raluca Oprean, Nicole Mulholland, Anna Larsson, Kristen Owen, Julia Curran, Sam Warner, Kristine Boileau, Cidalia Grischow-Bradley. Head Coach – Janet Cobbs-Mulholland and Assistant Coach – Brad McClure.

The U16 team traveled to play in Windsor where Coach Richard Eddy had his team pumped up. They defeated Forest City Green U15, Chatham Ballhawks Gold, London Spiking Sharks, Stratford Stingers. In the final game they won the first set handily 25-18 but could not keep the momentum going and lost a hard breaking third set to the South County Bandits of Windsor.

The Scorpions U16 are: Chelsea Bott, Emily Ibbotson, Brook-Lin Thurlow, Leslie Ogilvie, Jessica Patterson, Rylie Cook, Katie Langan, Emma Wylie,
Taylor Burigana, Samantha Fraser and Coach, Richard Eddy. Absent were Larissa Peck and Brooklyn Gallant.

Story submitted by Paul Langan for the Hespeler Scoripons | ScorpionsVolleyball.ca

The Oakville Thunder under-14 blue team won all 10 of its matches to earn its first Ontario Volleyball Association tournament championship of the season recently at St. Thomas Aquinas.

Oakville clinched the title with a 25-20, 25-23 victory over the Etobicoke Titans in the gold-medal game.

A key point in the tournament for the Thunder came when Oakville overcame a 10-3 deficit in the first game of the semifinals against the Niagara Rapids. Following a time out, Jamie Bon served up nine straight winners as the Thunder rallied to win and then rode the momentum in the final.

Also contributing to the Thunder’s win were Natalie Lacostic, Gracie Brison, Brooke Robertson, Sarah Krakowiak, Mara Lach, Caroline Nobel, Juhl Henriksen, Emma Guerin and Claire Hatziioannou.

Josey Guerin and Michele Hatziioannou coach the Thunder, while Roberta Wood and Cathy Longo-Bon are the managers.

Story from  InsideHalton.com

When Paul Langan learned that his daughter Katie would have to commute from Cambridge to Kitchener to play volleyball, he wondered why there weren’t programs in their neck of the woods.

Instead of just wondering why, Langan decided to do something about it.

Well, be careful what you wish for.

Langan launched the Hespeler Scorpions volleyball club in 2010, and in just its second year of existence, the club boasts 250 members representing almost every school in Cambridge.

“I had a five-year plan that was blown away after three months,” says Langan. “I just wanted to get kids off the couch and onto the court.”

The Scorpions field three competitive teams: under-13, under-15 and under-16 girls. But that’s not the yardstick Langan uses to measure the club’s success.

“A lot of other programs are based on how many competitive teams they field,” he says. “My philosophy has always been to have a huge bottom of the pyramid and see where it goes from there.”

Word of mouth has extended the Scorpions’ reach to 47 schools, with only three Cambridge schools that don’t have athletes represented.

Another priority for the Scorpions is to keep participation affordable for families of all means. None of the programs cost more than $100, and most are in the $50 to $75 dollar range. Some are free.

The size of the Scorpions club has allowed Langan to introduce new types of programs, such as sitting volleyball. This version of the sport – where the athletes play from a seated position on the floor – is designed for people with disabilities, but able-bodied players can join in as well.

“What I like about sitting volleyball is that it’s inclusive,” says Langan, 54, who works as a laboratory safety inspector for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. “Able-bodied athletes and ones with disabilities can compete on a level playing field. Height and weight don’t matter.”

The Scorpions have programs for kids in Grade 3 and up as well as an extensive beach volleyball offering along with other summer activities.

Other than managing the logistics of the quickly expanding club, Langan’s biggest challenge has been finding qualified coaches.

“It’s not like hockey where everyone knows the sport and can walk in and coach,” Langan says. He would know, as a two-decade veteran of the Hespeler Minor Hockey system. “Good volleyball coaches are hard to find.”

For witnesses to the success of the Scorpions program, look no further than the Gallant family; the Gallants have three girls on the competitive teams and five kids involved at one time or another.

Fifteen-year-old Brooklyn is on the U-16 team, while twins Haley and Kayla, 12, are on the U-13 squad. Alexis, 16, was on the U-16 team last year, and now helps Langan coach the Spikes house league for kids in Grades 5 to 8. Youngest sibling Travis, 9, has been involved in the summer programs.

“What’s really cool to see is people of all ages enjoying volleyball, boys and girls,” says Alexis.

“The coaches make it all about having fun,” says Brooklyn, who has also had an opportunity to work with the Conestoga College Condors team. “Everyone knows each other with the Scorpions.”

Emmaly Martin, 13, is involved in the Scorpions house league, only because the club doesn’t have an U-14 team this year. But her love of the sport has inspired her to try out for her school team.

“We don’t have set positions in house league, but my favourite is setter,” she says. “I love the anticipation of when the other team has the ball.”

“Emmaly never wanted to play team sports, until now,” says her mother Nancy. “Now she really wants to get on a travel team. The kids have a ton of fun and they’re learning so much.”

If that pyramid that Langan talks about keeps growing, expect big things from the Scorpions in the coming years.

Story by Peter Brown for TheRecord.com

The Nipissing Lady Lakers are taking their game to Tampa Bay over the holiday break to participate in the McMaster Invitational Tournament taking place in Tampa Bay, Florida from December 28th to December 31st, 2011.

The tournament features York University, McMaster University, the University of Manitoba, Universite de Moncton, Humber College and Nipissing University.

The tournament format includes two divisions of three teams with the Lady Lakers scheduled to play York University, Humber College and McMaster University. The teams will then be placed in a playoff format based on results. The teams also have various training seasons planned throughout the week.

“As a team we are always looking for opportunities and challenges to get better and this will certainly be a very good test for us,” said head coach Marc LaRochelle.

The Lady Lakers have an 8-1 regular season record and are ranked 2nd in the OCAA and 11th nationally.

The team will return to regular season play January 21/22, 2012 when they host Redeemer and Humber.

Story submitted by Marc LaRochelle for Nipissing University | nulakers.ca

On the evening prior to their first OVA tournament appearance of 2011, the Northern Chill 18U volleyball team assembled for a team meeting in the hotel room of Head Coach Mike Margarit.  Like any tournament beforehand, the purpose of these meetings typically revolves around the discussion of goals, strategies, and preparation for the following day.  This meeting though, was slightly different.

“We took caribiners (mountain climbing clips) and customized them to represent each of our personalities. Each clip is unique.  When we join them together, they symbolize our unity”, explained Middle Blocker Nicole Collard.

While each player is responsible for their bauble away from the court, prior to tournaments the team joins the clips to remind themselves of the importance of that unity.  That bond was on display this past weekend as the 18U girls competed in the Provincial Cup in Barrie.

Ranked fourth coming into the day, Chill fired on all cylinders with an early round victory over the Georgian Cubs (25-16, 25-17).  Thundering offensive displays from Collard and Outside Hitter Allison Larsen, Chill overcame their opposition with ease.  The second match of the day pitted the girls against the Port Perry Panthers.  Strong serving from Middle Blocker Kailey Bastien and expertly placed sets by Setter Liandra Hunt steered the team to a 25-19 set win.  Despite a point-for-point exchange in the first half of the next set, the girls settled down and easily put away the Panthers 25-12.

The final match of the round robin had all the makings of a classic, with Chill taking on the top-ranked Kingston Pegasus.  Despite their opponents jumping out to an early first set lead, Chill refused to back down.  Key bone-rattling blocks by Collard and Right Side Hitter Tamara McNair, turned the momentum in the Sudbury team’s favour.  As the back-and-forth set continued on, a larger crowd started to form, watching what many could say was an epic effort from both teams.  With first place in the pool on the line, the teams took the first set to the limit, exchanging salvos in a fury of digs, spikes, and seemingly impossible saves.  Down 21-23, Coach Margarit called a time-out to calm his troops amidst the increasing hum of crowd noise.  Collected and composed, Chill put the wraps on perhaps their finest performance of the season to date, eclipsing their opponents 27-25.

The second set was equally special with both teams picking up where the last set left off.  A furious exchange of power and finesse plays saw the teams draw even at 23 points apiece, only for Pegasus to pull ahead and take the set 25-23.

With a gym that was abuzz with emotion and crowd energy, Chill walked off the court to plan for their first play-off match against the Northumberland Breakers (Cobourg); the lofty heights of Premier Division volleyball within sight.  The Breakers, a familiar foe over the years, were riding emotion and momentum of their own and carried it to an energy-draining 27-25 and 25-23 win.

Despite the disappointment of the loss, the true character of this team surfaced near the end of the match when one their own was pulled from the court due to illness.  In a selfless act, McNair offered to play in an unfamiliar role, in a re-match against the Port Perry Panthers.  With survival in the division on the line, the girls ably handled their opponent 25-14, 25-10.

Not unlike the clips they made the night prior, Chill once again demonstrated that they are strongest when joined together, further emphasizing the bond that so strongly underlines the spirit of this team.
The 18U team continues their season in the new year, with the Challenge Cup.

Story submitted by the Northern Chill.