May 7-9, Sherbrooke, Quebec
This season, the 15U girls red team had already taken home bronze, silver and gold medals before heading off to Sherbrooke, Quebec for the Eastern National championships from May 7th to 9th. Following several three set victories, their hard work resulted in our team taking home a gold medal. This team has experienced a year of significant growth in all areas thanks to the combined efforts of coaches Irena Zamboni and Linden Leung. The team was further gifted with the arrival of assistant coach Chelsea Schmalz a little later in the season.
The Eastern National Championships welcomed 40 teams at the girls 15U level. On Friday, May 7th our first game resulted in a three set victory as we were pitted us against the Outaouais Griffins. Following a double loss to Canada West we finished the day with a three set victory over Toronto West. Later that evening, the parents put together a wonderful pasta dinner for players, coaches and families.
Saturday, May 8 the girls lost to the Alberta Pandas and then fought two very close sets to lose to the Oshawa DRVC. The second day of competition was filled with many moments of absolute brilliance. In our final game against Toronto’s Interclub the first set was a closely fought 23-25 loss. Showing tremendous powers of concentration and determination the girls were able to rebound to a win in the following two sets.
Sunday, May 9th, Mother’s Day, saw us wake up to a snow covered parking lot. A well rested team entered the final day of the tournament with a strong sense that victory could be theirs. Our first two games brought the maritime teams to our door. In game one, the Fusion Reds sent New Brunswick home after a double win. Our next game was against a team from Mount Pearl, Newfoundland. Once again, the Fusion Red came out on top in a 3 game set. The final game of the tournament saw us facing the Essex South County. We had been sent home by this same team in the final day of the provincial tournament 2 weeks earlier, and the Fusion team was determined that this was not going to be a repeat story. In what turned out to be the best game of the tournament, we took the gold medal round in two very hard fought sets.
In summary, this has been a year where the 15U Fusion Red girls have shown tremendous growth in all areas of the game. We wish to once again, recognize the dedication and commitment of the girls, their parents and, of course, our three remarkable coaches. We are all looking forward to a summer of R and R along with ongoing skill development through many of the local and provincial volleyball venues. See you all at the year-end gala!
