18U Boys Win Provincial Bronze

Our Durham Attack 18U Black has had a roller-coaster 18U campaign, placing anywhere from 8th of 64 at Penn State to 7th of 12 in Tier 1. However, this weekend was different. Being the last OVA tournament of their volleyball careers, Durham Attack 18U men did battle with the best Ontario has to offer, and after the dust had settled, they came home as 2009 Ontario Tier 1 Bronze Medalists.

Being seeded 7th going in, our boys had to prove they were not one to be overlooked. Saturday pool play saw Attack win in straight sets against Pegasus (25-19, 25-17), Barrie (25-18, 25-22) and Interclub (27-25, 25-23). Many teams were taking notice that Attack brought it this weekend.

Second day of competition saw our boys in a power pool with Forest City, Crush, and Ottawa Roos, with some rather lackadaisical play. After a three-set win over the Roos (23-25, 25-16, 15-9), Attack stumbled a bit in a three-set loss to Crush that the boys didn’t show up to. Attack then followed up with a tight three-set loss to eventual champion Forest City Green (26-24, 25-17, 15-12). A record of 1-2 on the day put them in a three way tie for second, and fortunately the point differential went in the favour of Durham.

The final day was playoffs, and Attack knew if there was a time to step up, it would be now. Quarterfinal match saw us pitted against the extremely tall and talented Aurora Storm Hurricanes. Many felt this game was going to Storm no doubt, but the boys played perhaps their best match of the season to win the match in two straight (30-28, 25-21).

Interclub would be the semifinal match, after they beat the Ottawa Mavericks, who were considered one of the pre-tournament favourites. Fired up, they took our boys easily in the first set, 25-14. After waking up, Attack played side-out ball literally the whole second set, eventually losing 26-24. Attack certainly didn’t bring the same intensity to this match as they had against Storm.

Although let down from a semi-final loss, the boys were determined to walk away with more than just their pride. They did just that, sweeping the Waterloo Tigers in straight sets (25-12, 25-22) to win the bronze.

Twelve players make up this team, and each one of these twelve contributed to the weekend’s success. Congratulations to Craig Dixon for receiving all-star honours as a libero. Craig was making digs and recoveries one would have thought impossible to make. Our setters, Austin and Caileb, ran their offense consistently and effectively, frequently confusing the blockers on the other side. Our middles, Matt, Harry and Eric, although all playing with injuries, worked through them to provide some huge blocks and big kills when it counted. Rightsides Julian and Mike stepped up when it mattered, making some incredible defensive saves and massive slams to shut down the opponent’s offense. Leftsides Brandon, Richard, Armin and Liam showed why leftside is so vital to the success of a team, with consistent serve receive passing and smart offensive strategy.

Glimpses of brilliance were often seen this weekend, showing that this team has yet to peak. Onto Nationals in less than three weeks, this team will do some serious damage and hopefully make up for a bittersweet 4th place finish in 17u last year with the gold this time.

all photos...