Durham Attack | 6th Best in Ontario 16U Tier 1 for Attack Black 15U!

The Durham Attack 15U Black Girls Volleyball Team lived up to their sixth seed at the OVA 16U Tier 1 Provincials, played at Jacob Hespeler SS April 22-23.

In Pool Play Saturday, Attack Black 15U defeated last year’s Gold Medalist Peel Selects 16U, then the Ottawa Mavericks 16U, both in straight sets. The re-match from the final 16U Tournament against DRVC 16U began with a promising 25-20 first set victory for Attack Black 15U. DRVC battled back to win Game 2 and the Tie-Break, placing Attack Black second in Pool 3. This set up the most important match of the day, another rematch from the final tournament against Waterdown Raiders 16U, whom they had beaten for the first time, although their coach was absent. Last year, Attack lost the pre-quarters game, relegating them to compete in the bottom half of the 16 teams. The best they could hope to finish was 9th, which they achieved by winning three straight on Sunday. This year, they needed to win this game to improve on last year’s finish. Attack Black 15U defeated Waterdown Raiders 25-18, 25-19, despite the best efforts of the good coach from the Waterdown team.

Sunday began with the OVA 16U Award of Excellence presentations on stage in the Cafeteria. Among the impressive group of talented volleyball players assembled on the stage was our own Co-Captain and Setter, Jordyn Moloney. Attack Black 15U is an extraordinary group, each girl being a leader in her own right, showing the confidence and determination required to excel at the age group above. The Coaching staff Evan Williams and Julie & Tom Clark could have selected any girl on the team and they would have been right, as everyone has truly made a contribution. During the weekend, many spectators commented that the team of fifteen (and under) year-old girls were very well-coached and played a very strong positional game, given their age.

The best match of the day came in the Quarter-Finals against another familiar opponent in the host club Waterloo Tigers. The Tigers were seeded fifth and Attack Black beat them in Pool play in a tournament at U of T and then lost to them at the end of the day. Sporting good height and a strong blocking effort, eventual 4th place Waterloo Tigers won a very close match by scores 25-23, 26-24. This set up another re-match against South County Bandits, seeded seventh, who had defeated Attack 15U in the same previous tournament, prior to the second Tigers game. This time Attack Black 15U gained their revenge, winning against this scrappy team that plays good defense. In the final match of the day against National Capitals, who had also beaten Attack in an earlier tournament, Attack Black stormed out to take the first set. Reminiscent of the game against DRVC, Attack could not sustain that pace and dropped the second set and the Tie-Break to the team from Ottawa.

At this time, it is fitting to recognize the accomplishment of the Durham Attack 16U Girls, who are the new OVA 16U Champions! They defeated the same DRVC team that bested us and went on to win a thrilling match against top-seeded and defending Canada-East Champion Scarborough Vipers. Durham Attack can boast 2006 OVA Tier 1 Girls Champions at 20U, 18U and 16U age groups. If the trend holds true, Attack Black 15U can extend this further to include 15U next weekend.

The 15U Tier 1 Provincial Championships will be held at Fanshawe College in London, April 27-28. Attack Black 15U will be looking to defend their age group Provincial Championship from last year and finish the OVA season undefeated in 15U competition. The team will then travel to Moncton and Calgary in May to compete in the Canadian Championships.