17U Boys Take Silver at Nittany Ninvitational!

On January 26th, Durham Attack’s 17U Boys performed under-par in the Challenge Cup and placed 7th. You can call it a comeback or a turn-around if you want, but on the weekend of February 8th and 9th, the 17U Boys traveled to Penn State University to do battle with the best America had to offer. And battle they did. Out of the 38 teams vying for the championship, our Attack boys persevered for two straight full days of competition and came home with the Silver.

After a long 6 hour drive to State College, Pennsylvania, the boys hit the bed at 10 p.m., preparing for their long weekend ahead of them. Waking up at 6:00 a.m. to begin their walk to Penn State was quite the challenge for the boys, however. Arriving at Penn State, the boys were scheduled for an 8 am game, against Smack LAT 42 Black, and fortunately did not suffer the traditional morning game lag, defeating them in two straight, 25-6, 25-20. After a short break, the boys came back to the court to play Southtowns 17, who they defeated as well, 25-21, 25-20. Their 3rd pool play match saw Attack pair up with Damon’s 17 North. Attack defeated them in 3 sets, as their opponents seemed to not all be there. Scores were 25-15, 22-25 and 15-4. The last pool play match of the day was to determine first place in their pool. The boys were set to play 3rd seeded Warren Sixpak 171. A very tall team, they were very intimidating at first-glance. However, this didn’t seem to phase the boys as they took the first set 25-21. Second set was a different story as numerous service errors caused the boys to drop the set 25-22. Third set was a tightly-fought match, but unfortunately the boys couldn’t close it up with an 11-7 lead and lost 15-13. This placed the boys in 2nd place of a pool of 5. Sunday would see the boys have to fight their way back up to the gold bracket championship.

The next day, the boys were set to play in a do-or-die pool of 4, which the top 2 teams would advance back to the gold bracket. First match was to be against Aurora Storm Lightning, the team that surprised them at the previous Challenge Cup and defeated them for 5th. Durham was going to prove that match was a total fluke. Defeating them in two quick sets, 25-18 and 25-11, the boys sent a message saying they were back and not ready to leave. This qualified them for the gold bracket, and a top 16 spot of 38. The boys then were set to play Pace Bootlegger 17, a very strong team from Rochester who consistently places at the top of the heap in most tournaments. This match was to determine the seeding for the gold bracket playoffs. However, this team was too much for Attack at the time, defeating our boys in 3, 25-23, 22-25, 15-11. This didn’t phase the boys though, as they knew they were still in contention for the gold.

Playoffs!

Attack was ready for a tough road ahead to reach the final, and the tough match was in store for them in the round of 16. Second ranked Pittsburgh United Blue won all the matches with ease on the previous day of pool matches. But the boys were ready to prove that they weren’t going to be rolled over. Consistent passing and defense by Attack had them take the first set 25-18. Although playing well the second set, United seemed to wake up and defeated Attack in a close 25-23 set. The third set saw Attack, normally a team that would let up in the third set, defeat their tough opponents 15-12, guaranteeing them a top 8 spot in the field of 38.

This win prompted the boys to reveal a more competitive side to them, as they carried their momentum from the match against United to defeat the 4th seeded Richmond VC 171 in quarters 25-16, 23-25, 15-13. A top 4 finish was now in store for the boys no matter what, but they didn’t stop there, as they had their eye on the ultimate prize. Semi-finals pitted Attack against Red Rose VBC, not as intimidating in the warm-up, but a tough opponent nonetheless. Attack’s 17U Boys seemed to be on-a-roll, defeating their opponents 25-11, 25-18. This win meant Attack would fight for the gold.

Championship Game!

At this time it must be mentioned that of the top 4 teams, 3 of them were Canadian. The other semi-final ended in the Aurora Storm Hurricanes defeating our fellow Ottawa Mavericks in 2 tight sets, 25-22 and 26-24.

Finally, the championship. The boys’ final opponent was the always strong Aurora Storm Hurricanes. This is probably the tallest team in the OVA and the most intimidating. But, as always, our boys didn’t seem to be phased by their warm-up. The first set was neck and neck throughout, but, a few unforced errors by Attack and Aurora took the first set 25-22. The boys were eager to get back on the court to start anew. The second set was even more entertaining than the first, with literally a side-out every point. Attack, finally pulled ahead 22-18 and were 3 points from sending this match into overtime. But, another set where the boys couldn’t put it away and Aurora was back in it at 24-24. Points were shared by both teams until Aurora had the advantage at 28-27. A huge kill by their rightside and the match was over, 29-27. Although losing the match, the boys were extremely satisfied with their silver medal showing. After a singing of “O Canada” by the spectators and players of both Canadian teams, the boys were awarded and took a picture with their fellow opponents and Canadians.

Reflecting On The Weekend…

The boys had an extremely impressive showing at the Penn State Nittany Ninvitational, placing 2nd of a field of 38 and also being the 11th seed and defeating the 2nd and 4th seeds. This tournament showed them especially, that although being the underdog, they can come out with the victory. Hopefully this is a turning point for the team, as Ontario Championships and Nationals are fast approaching. Until then, they have a full five weeks of hard training ahead of them to achieve their ultimate goal of being Ontario Champions and medaling at Nationals.

Good luck boys!

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