Staff
The Northwestern Ontario Norskies were the lowest-ranked team in their division but still stared the biggest dog in the yard in the face and nearly got away without being bitten.
Facing the top-ranked Kingston Volleyball Club, the 28th-seeded Norskies went tooth-and-nail before finally falling 2-1 (25-22, 22-25, and 15-13) in the 16U girls’ Division 3 Tier 2 Championship bronze-medal final at the Ontario Volleyball Association’s provincial championships Sunday in Waterloo.
“The Norskies exceeded the coaching staff’s goals this past weekend,” lauded coach and Fort Frances resident Amy Wilson-Hands.
“They had only practised three times prior to attending the provincials, so finishing in fourth place in Division 3 was a very mentionable accomplishment.”
Hard-hitting power Adyson Wilson-Hands, one of two district players on the team along with Pasquel Shortreed of Emo, made her coach/mom extra proud by receiving the OVA Award of Excellence at the tournament.
The honour is given to a player identified for their dedication to the sport of volleyball, perseverance and commitment, leadership, sportsmanship, and overall performance at the event.
The Norskies were swept in their first three matches against the fourth-ranked Maverick Gamblers (25-21/25-17), the 21st-seeded Oakville Thunder (25-15/25-23), and the fifth-rated Etobicoke Titans Prometheus (25-18/25-19).
The Norskies then discovered their top form in their fourth match with a 2-1 win over the 13th-seeded Chatham Ballhawks (15-25, 25-20, and 15-13).
But the squad promptly returned to the loss column with defeats to the 12th-ranked Scarborough Titans Platinum (25-18/25-21) and the 20th-ranked Georgian Bay Vista (29-27/25-22) to close out the round-robin at 1-5.
The playoffs saw the Norskies hungrier and more dangerous, however, opening with a 2-1 win (25-18, 25-27, 15-13) over the 25th-seeded Collingwood Black Diamonds.
Then they ousted the 10th-ranked Georgian Cubs in the quarter-finals (25-22/25-23).
Facing the 23rd-seeded Evolution in the semi-finals, the Norskies went the distance before losing 2-1 (13-25, 25-22, and 15-10).
Meanwhile, a pair of teams representing the Fort Frances Fire ‘n Ice club program took part in a 14U girls’ tournament over the weekend in Portage la Prairie, Man.
Fire ‘n Ice finished second in its pool with a 2-1 record by recording wins over the Neepawa Smash and the Deloraine Flash while losing to Dynamo Grey.
The locals then swept the Pirates Volleyball Club in the first round of the playoffs (set scores unavailable) before falling to the host Prairie Fire (25-23/25-22).
“All the girls played well, but Keisha Debungie and Jaymesen Harasemchuk were stellar in the middle,” lauded Fire ‘n Ice coach Bob Kowal, whose daughter, Grace, played what he called “exceptional” defence.
“She made some outstanding saves throughout the weekend,” he remarked.
Fire ‘n Ice Blue, meanwhile, went 1-5 in its six round-robin matches to finish last in its pool, recording its lone victory against the Parkland Vipers.
The squad then went into the 11th-place final but lost to the Pirates (scores unavailable).
But Kowal didn’t have too much difficulty finding positives in the experience.
“They improved immensely throughout the tournament,” he lauded.
“Kenna Spuzak and Abby Roach really stepped up their play from the beginning of the tournament to the end.”
