Joey Payeur
Amy Wilson-Hands refuses to believe her team had any reason to take a backseat to anyone it faced this past week when it comes to talent.
Rather, it was the psychology of the big stage that led to her squad’s demise.
The co-coach of the 16th-ranked Muskie senior girls’ volleyball team had a front-row seat to watch the defending NorWOSSA and NWOSSAA champs go 0-4 to finish last out of five teams in Pool ‘A’ and miss the playoffs at the OFSAA ‘AA’ girls’ championship in Belleville earlier this week.
“I think we went in possibly overthinking the fact we were playing some of the top high school teams in the province,” noted Wilson-Hands.
“Saying that, I think they showed they are a top team in the province at times and had moments where they proved they could compete,” she added.
“I think it was mental.”
Grade 11 middle Carmen Godin was on the same page.
“Our heads weren’t in the game at all,” she admitted.
“Mentally, we were off. We were letting balls drop left and right and not setting up plays.
“It was not the best we could have played,” Godin added. “We could have won, definitely, but it fell apart.”
The Muskies were swept 25-21, 25-10 in their first match Monday morning against the sixth-seeded St. Mary Crusaders (Hamilton), who wound up second in the pool at 3-1, before falling 25-19, 25-16 to the top-ranked Riverside Rebels (Windsor), who finished first in the pool at 4-0.
“The second set against Riverside was much better in that the girls weren’t going to let anything hit the floor without at least getting a touch on it,” said Wilson-Hands.
“I think we surprised the Rebels quite a few times.”
The biggest disappointment of the Muskies’ tournament came in its first match yesterday morning against the lowest-seeded team in the field.
But instead, it was the 20th-ranked Streetsville Tigers (Mississauga) sinking their teeth into the Muskies by scores of 25-20 and 25-16.
“We should have beat them,” Wilson-Hands said.
“But we were serving into the net, we were flat-footed and not communicating, and some of our attitudes were getting the best of us.”
As luck would have it, the Muskies still had a chance to force its way into the consolation bracket quarter-finals if they could have beaten the 11th-ranked Lockerby Vikings (Sudbury) later yesterday while Streetsville lost to St. Mary.
“We had a huge talk with the team after the Streetsville game about what needed to happen against Lockerby and they came out a much different team–aggressive, intense, communicating and, most of all, having fun on the court,” Wilson-Hands noted.
The 25-16 loss in the first set, which the coach said was closer than the score showed, gave way to a heart-stopping second set.
Fort High fell behind 9-4, the later trailed 23-20 before reeling off four-straight points to sit at set point.
But the Vikings wouldn’t back down and, although they yielded a second set point, fought that one off, as well, to eventually prevail 29-27.
“That set was amazing,” Wilson-Hands said. “People were cheering for us that we didn’t even know.”
Chelsea Kabatay, in her final go-round as a Muskie, left the tournament with mixed emotions about the team’s last stand.
“I was pretty proud how we all pulled together,” said the Grade 12 hitter. “I’m sad it’s over.
“I think it was really fun to play with these girls, and have this experience to be on the high school team and represent Fort Frances,” Kabatay added.
“I wish the team the best of luck next year and the year after.”
Godin, who along with fellow Grade 11 teammate Abby Sanders and expected “victory lap” returnee Avery Wilson-Hands, are the only certainties to be back to try out next season.
“I definitely want to come back next year and go to OFSAA again,” Godin vowed.
“We will have to work with all the newcomers coming up but I think we’ll be OK.”
