Joey Payeur
They were the few, the proud and most likely the very tired by the time they played their last point.
But the Fort Frances Vipers 17U girls club volleyball team continued to make steps forward in their play as they captured ninth place at the Vision Elite 18U volleyball tournament in Winnipeg on April 4-5.
“Our focus this weekend was to improve as a team and work harder on the court for the entire set,” said Vipers co-coach Duane Roen.
“Three of our players could not make the trip, leaving only seven in the lineup,” he added.
“We were limited to a 5-1 system with Sierra Cousineau as our only setter for the weekend. Most of the teams at this tournament are 17U and 18U Tier I teams—the top level in the province—which is challenging.
“However, we do participate in the best volleyball in the province, as some of these teams are in the top three in western Canada, which gives our girls a goal to strive towards.”
The Vipers kicked off the tourney with a 2-0 loss (25-19, 25-7) to Big Bear 17U Tier I from Forrest, Man., the No. 9-rated team in Manitoba.
“We were still struggling to attack every point,” admitted Roen.
Fort Frances started to improve in its second outing, despite another 2-0 defeat (25-11, 25-17) to the eighth-rated Bobcat Volleyball Club 17U Tier I team from Brandon, Man.
The next day saw the Vipers open with its first set victory of the weekend in a 25-18 win against the Junior Pilots Providence 17U Tier I squad from Steinbach, ranked seventh in Manitoba.
But the Pilots switched to their bigger guns and took the next two sets and the match by scores of 25-10 and 15-7.
The Vipers finished the preliminary round with a 2-1 loss (25-20, 23-25, 15-10) to the Winman Volleyball Club 17U Tier I crew from Winnipeg, rated No. 4 in the province.
That put Fort Frances into a first-round playoff matchup with the very tough Winnipeg Fury 17U Tier I team, the second-rated team in Manitoba.
The determination was there, but not the results for the Vipers, who fell 2-0 (25-16, 25-23).
That put them up against Big Bear one more time, but this time, Fort Frances had the right trap prepared as they blasted the Forrest fraternity 2-0 (25-16, 25-19).
“A great end as we defeated the team we lost to at the start of the tournament, which is a testament to our improvement,” noted Roen, who made a point of highlighting his squad’s areas of progress.
“On Saturday, the team gradually evolved into a more competitive group. We began to play a smarter game of volleyball,” he stated.
“Our attacks were more aggressive and more unpredictable than previous play,” continued Roen.
The coach spread praise throughout his roster for how they hung tough against difficult opposition.
“Skylar Arpin dominated all areas of the game with hard left-side hits and back-row attacks, strong defensive digs and smart serve placement,” he lauded.
“Cassandra Moffitt improved her arsenal of attacks ranging from hard cross-court and line shots to accurate off-speed shots and tips. Carly Taggart in the middle had a positive impact through her quick tips and fast middle attacks. She also continued to produce impressive serves which barely missed the tape and found their way to the back of the court.
Hannah McLeod matured in her role as middle blocker with 14 stuff blocks over the course of the tournament, with several blocks echoing through the gym as she re-directed them to the floor,” complimented Roen.
“Hannah also contributed to the offence with hard hits and often reached over the block to drive the ball down.
“Abbi Perreault at libero improved markedly in her ability to read and react to the play. She became faster and her confidence grew as the day unfolded.
“As her passing improved, so did our offence led by our setter, Sierra Cousineau. Sierra learned Friday night how much work it is when you are the only setter on the team.
“After changing our game plan Saturday, Sierra took charge of the offence,” emphasized Roen.
“She transformed tough passes into in-system attacks. She communicated each play and made better decisions as the day moved on. In addition to the offence, Sierra continued to control the court through excellent float serves and serve placement.
Brooke McGinnis on the right side corrected her timing for setting the block,” added Roen.
She also improved her backcourt presence and was a solid server throughout the weekend, delivering several aces, which is difficult to do at this level of volleyball, he noted.
The Vipers will get one more taste of high-performance volleyball when they enter the 17U Tier I provincial championships in Portage la Prairie, Man. on April 26-27.
Fort Frances was scheduled to go into the Tier 2 provincials, but the event was cancelled as only the Vipers and one other team registered for the event.
