Good Start to Season for 14U Red

14U Red traveled to Etobicoke yesterday for the first OVA tournament of the season. For all of them it was their first OVA tournament ever. So there was a lot of excitement in the players and parents, and the boys were a little nervous. Once they got on the court, however, and got a match under their belts, they realized it was just volleyball, and they played good, consistent volleyball the entire day.

They're running a 6-2 offense and just learned the 5-1 and 6-2 rotations in the past couple weeks. So there was a bit of confusion the first two matches and it probably cost us the second match. Then they got the system down and went 3-0 in the next three matches.

Smaller than all the teams we played, and with a few underage players - this little team has a lot of heart, and it showed.

We're down one player with an injury - Qwynn - we need you back!

Attack Red vs. Titans Marauders - 20-25, 18-25

Pretty good for their first match ever! I think all the boys were a little nervous. This 6-2 thing was a little confusing and at times we had 4 at the net or 2 at the net, but they still played well and were right in the match.

Attack Red vs. Ottawa Roos - 25-22, 17-25, 10-15

The boys' first tie-breaker. Really, I think the boys outplayed a bigger Roos team in the first two sets. We won the first set, but in the second had 5 or more out-of-rotation calls against us, and quite a few net violations on points we would have won. If not for those we would have won the second set. The third set-tie-breaker just didn't go our way.

Attack Red vs. North Bay VC - 25-19, 25-9

We played better all around and won our first match of the season. Everyone played well and it showed on the scoreboard. Though we still had a few issues with positions on the court, the boys were figuring it out.

We settled down to a two match break, and Hoi did some more work on the boys with the rotation and positioning on the court.

Attack Red vs. Durham Attack Black - 27-25, 25-18

Red vs. Black matches are always tough. I've seen a number of these over the years with my daughter's team, from both sides of the fence. There is always a lot of support for both teams, as the parents and players are all friends and many of them have played together in the past. And this was no exception.

Our boys went out, settled down, and played better volleyball. The first set was tough and they squeaked it out, and for the second set they played at the same consistent level for the win.

Attack Red vs. Niagara Rapids - 25-21, 25-12

We had another long break and started this match around 6:30 or so. By then both teams were pretty tired, learning just how long a day it can be, and the importance of hydration, eating properly, and keeping the boys settled down between matches. Unfortunately we lost a player who was not feeling well by then, but we still played well. When we got tired we had some problems with serve receive, as did they. We won the first one and second was never really in question.

So all in all it was a very good start for 14U Red, 3-2 on the day, and the two losses were both winnable. The boys will continue to work hard and to improve, and are looking forward to their next tournament in January.

all photos...