Our 17U Black girls played one of their strongest tournaments of the year and
were 18-0 at the 17U Canadian Open to again emerge as Canadian National
Champions for 2008. Continuing a Canadian Open unbeaten streak that
extends back to May 2005 in Antigonish, NS, the girls have won every Canadian
Open they have entered - six straight Canadian Opens including 2005 East, 2006
East & West, 2007 East & West, and 2008.
On top of their
recent 2008 Ontario Championship, it marks another great season for the
team, with, under coach Anne Botica's guidance, a lot of growth for individual players. At the start of each season we
are never quite sure how the team will fare, as it gets tougher each year as you
move up in the age groups. This is the first Durham Attack Nationals win for a 17/18
team, age groups traditionally dominated by the West. We were smaller in
numbers this year and vulnerable to the illnesses and injuries that plagued us
mid-season and cost the team important games. But the girls took their
volleyball to another level from March to May to again emerge as Ontario and
Canadian Champions.
Long rally in the finals
- 90 seconds!
2008 Canadian National 17U Champions
I don't
think I have ever seen them as relaxed but determined on the court. They
were having a lot of fun out there, there was a lot of energy and
communication, and when they got in a tough spot they just powered right through.
Every single game was solid. Much like Provincials, they peaked when it mattered most.
17U
Nationals
Starting at 17U
Volleyball Canada holds a single Canadian Open. The girls are used
to the two-week May roadtrip to do Nationals East and West, and last year we had
an absolute blast in both Moncton and Calgary - it is the highlight of the
parent's year too. From team seafood dinners in the Midtown in Moncton, to
horseback riding in the mountains, the team has done it all. The girls
were pretty disappointed when the 17/18U tournament was moved from Abbotsford to
Ottawa. It felt more like an OVA tournament weekend than a Nationals road
trip. Would they have that 'Nationals energy' that May Madness
requires?
Day One
We had tough
pools the whole way through. As usual we didn't spend a lot of time
thinking about it like other teams do, as we planned to play everyone by the time all
was done.
Day One was in the "Cow Palace",
a building originally built for
agricultural fairs. It is a pretty cool place to play in,
though at twilight the lighting becomes very difficult and the
temperature drops. We had a pretty good Day One and played pretty solid, with
a lot of spectators from out West watching to see who this Durham Attack
team was. Plus quite a few Canadian university coaches, and a few NCAA Division 2 schools (Division 1 was in a quiet period).
At 4 PM we started out
against LVC Phalanx from Lethbridge. Everyone was relaxed and
communicating well. We cruised to a 25-12, 25-16 finish.
After a
one-match break we took on Fraser Valley, a perennial BC powerhouse.
We won this one 25-20, 25-16.
We finished
the day around 10 PM with a 25-13, 25-13 win over WinMan Chris from
Manitoba.
Ali
serving one up in the Cow Palace
So far so
good, all systems go. Solid play all day, always in control.
The girls
retired to the hotel for some order-in dinner, a bit of One Tree Hill,
and off to bed. The parents however, retired to their newly
appointed roof-top garden for a nightcap or two.
Day Two
Up bright
and early for a team visit to Chez Dar, the 17u Black spa. The
afternoon shift doesn't give the girls much time to have fun together.
Dar and Sandy thought it would be nice to give the girls facials,
shampoos, pedicures and nails, so the girls were pampered before we
headed off to our Day Two lunch.
Once we got
to the gym the girls, though looking pretty stylish, were all business.
Day Two was played on various courts at Carlton University, each
with very different lighting. Kudos to Jo for setting perfectly on
the wide variety of courts we played on the entire tournament, which can
really throw you off.
Chez Dar
First out of
the gate we played Manitoba Blazers, a good team who finished a whisker
from the top four on Day Three. We were playing even better
on Day Two, now comfortable and really aggressive, and we dispatched
them 25-17, 25-10.
Second was
CVC Radz from Saskatchewan, 25-18, 25-20, a match not as close as the
scores indicate.
And to end
the day at 9 PM a final match against a pumped-up Ontario Pakmen team
that had to win to make it into the top 8. Ontario teams are
always dangerous as they all know us and want to beat us. We won
this one 25-18, 25-17, despite using unconventional line-ups and plays
we don't normally run, to throw off Brandon who had scouts charting this match
in detail.
17U Black finishes 12-0 on Day Two
Day Three
Playoffs,
and three very tough teams to beat to make it to the gold. Each
team different. And in a brand-new venue for us, Carlton Ice
House.
First off
was Manitoba 1 - WinMan Warren. As Rod commented when we started
the first set down 6-0 "This is normal. Now you've got them
right where you want them." The score was back and forth until we
went on a serving tear to pick up seven straight points. That
closed the first set 25-15, and in the second we cruised to a 25-19 win.
Meanwhile in
the other quarter-final matches our Ontario friends from Forest City
lost a tough battle to a big Calgary Dinos team, and Aurora eaked out a
come-from-behind third set win over Blazers.
Next we
took on Alberta 1 - Calgary Dinos. They were consistently bigger
than us and had a great block but did not have our finesse and we
out-maneuvered them on offense to win 25-18, 25-21. Not a great
match but good enough, and the best was yet to come.
17's Win Quarters
17's Win Semis
Which put us in the finals for the sixth straight Canadian Open.
If we started the day with any doubts, there were none now. There
was no denying our girls in the final.
The first
set against Brandon Storm, a team with a great defense, was even up to
12, when the two teams went at it toe-to-toe for 90 seconds and we won a
huge rally. The momentum changed
in our favour but it was never more than a three-point margin until we
closed the first set 25-21.
Brandon
came back to tie the second set 23-23 and had us on the ropes for four
set points. As history has proven time and time again we are not a
team that you want to back into a corner. Completely unfazed and
totally relaxed, the girls just kept passing dimes off tough serves and
hammering the ball. At 27-26 Lauren hit a perfect winner down the
line only to be called on a violation we are still trying to figure out.
We traded points and did not stop hitting until our aggressiveness
finally paid off and Alysha closed out the set with two great serves to
win 30-28.
17's Win Finals
National Champions
We won this last
match through a balanced team effort, all around, which is perhaps the ultimate
accomplishment of 17U Black for the 2008 season.
All-stars Rebecca Glancy,
Ali Goc & Jordyn Moloney (MVP)
Anne's final words to her team
All-stars
Congratulations to
Ali Goc, Rebecca Glancy and Jordyn Moloney who were selected to the all-star
team. And to Jordyn for being selected as tournament MVP for the huge
contribution she makes to the team. Each is a standout at their position.
Thank-You
And where would we
be without Anne to guide us, the Club to support us, and parents who pull
together every tournament to support the team? Anne - thanks for taking
our play to another level, without which we would not have accomplished our
goal. We can only hope the girls follow in your footsteps as they play in
college. And to the parents - a better set of parents there isn't
anywhere. Its going to be awfully quiet until we start up again in the
Fall.
What Comes Next
I've
always ended these articles with where the team goes next. It seems every
summer is busier than the previous and this "volleyball thing" continues to
dominate our existence (though I'm not complaining). Beach, HPC and Team O
will keep the girls improving over the summer. For those not yet committed
to schools there are universities on both sides of the border wanting visits,
coaches to get to know, and decisions to be made. Strength and fitness
goals to be achieved off-season. And in the midst of all this the girls
need to be, well girls, and have some time to chill. All important
before we come back to the gym in September.
Because
when we do come back in September, we have a clear goal. To go
seven-for-seven and win the girls' final Canadian Open. It will be tougher
than ever as teams consolidate in Manitoba and Alberta, but we have a season to
prepare, and when in the history of this team have they not been able to dig
down deep and find more to give? Not ever. I'd put my money on
Durham Attack.
