“Consistency wins tournaments.” So say the coaches - and so it was that the 18U girls, with consistent play-making and a collective desire to win, took Tier 4 Gold on Sunday afternoon at Carleton University at the 2009 Canadian National Championships. It was a wonderful Sunday and well-deserved medals for this amazing team, who beat Calgary Titans 25-17, 25-14 in straight sets!!
The Nationals were quite a challenge. For some, it was their first time, for five it would be their last. The tournament started out with a fair bit of nervousness on the court, which translated into a few early losses. However, in no way, were any of the games a blow out for the other side. The girls played the BC Titans, Fog Killer Instinct (Edmonton) and Georgetown’s Impact on Day 1 Pool Play. The more games they played, the stronger they got. The Impact loss was a very close back-and-forth match, which ended up 21-25, 21-25. The girls had awesome serves, great digs and wonderful saves and, as the day progressed, lots more movement on the court.
Day 2, Saturday, was Power Pool day and the girls responded by coming on even stronger. They played the Mirabel Cheminots, Winnipeg Blazers and Calgary Titans, with narrow losses to the Cheminots (18-25, 25-19, 11-15) and Blazers (21-25, 25-22, 9-15). By the 3rd match of the day however, the girls had learned from experience and put out a great effort against the Calgary Titans. They lead for most of game 1 of the match with good serving and consistent play, winning 25-23. The second game showed them playing with confidence, playing their way, instead of running effective – albeit tiring - scramble plays which we saw a lot of earlier in the tournament. They won the second game 25-14. It was quite a boost for the girls and their screaming purple fans!! I believe the “Wave” even made its debut among Roos fans on Saturday!
Sudden death on Sunday got the fans to cheer even louder and longer – and they were not disappointed! The first playoff game was against the Richmond Rize of Arichat, Nova Scotia, a team of girls who had played together for 4 or 5 years straight. By contrast, some of our girls were in the second year of volleyball – ever – and their first year together as a team. It was a fast-paced start, remaining close with only 3 to 4 points separating the two teams throughout. In that first game, Richmond just plain and simple got to 25 first. The second game, however, was closer with only a point or two separating the teams. Then a real turning point of the weekend occurred. One of our powerhouse players made a heroic crash into the bleachers – and the camera – to keep the ball in play (she did AND the Roos won the point!), then calmly re-entered the court for the next play. She earned a standing ovation from the parents and coaches, as did the team shortly thereafter when they won the game 25-22. This display of single-mindedness in making the play was stirring; it was truly the turning point in this match. The Roos went on to win the third game 15-8!
The next opponent was the Waterloo Tigers. Our ladies knew that they could beat them, as they had played against this Waterloo Tiger team earlier in the season. It was a challenging match against a team with powerful hitters. Our serve receive and first passes were sweet, as well as our serving and tremendous play-making. This despite one of our player’s near- collision with yet another metal object (this time a hockey net) – Yikes! Our girls won in three: 23-25, 25-16, 15-9.
And so with a quick drive back to Carleton University from Gatineau, these 18U Roos played the gold medal match against the Calgary Titans. The girls had a little trouble at the start but then seemed to find their groove. They saw a soft spot in the Titans defense and kept directing it there, dominating both games. The ladies played smart and with consistent play got the job done. Their cheering fans were overjoyed to witness them earning a Gold Medal at the 18U Canadian National Championships.
The season came to an end with 2 medal finishes, so many great memories, as well as a few hugs and tears. To say this was a fun season is understating it. In fact one of the coaches commented that this season was the most fun he had had coaching - EVER! How could you not have fun with a great group of athletes like our 18U Roos – Congratulations Tanya, Vivian, Delia, ShaLyn, Jori, Danyelle, Cassie, Alex, Sarah and Melissa on finishing off the season by winning a Gold Medal at the Nationals!
This 18U team was fortunate to have been made up of five 17U players and five 18U players. It wasn’t easy for them…nobody said it would be and if it wasn’t for their dedication, hard work and determination, we may not have had the success we did this season. Thank you to our 17U’s for playing up at the 18U level and for taking a chance with this team. Danyelle, Cassie, Alex, Sarah and Mel we wish you all the best in your next 18U Season with the Roos.
A Gold Medal At Nationals…What a great way for our five 18U’s on this team to end their final Roos season…Tanya, Viv, Delia, Shay and Jori…you will be missed by your teammates and coaches. The coaching staff would like to wish you the best of luck in the future, wherever it may lead!
WHEN I SAY KANGA, YOU SAY ROOS….!!!!
