The OVA Ontario Volleyball Association Provincials proved to be everything the Northern Chill 15U Girls expected, and then some.
Playing in a three day sequence of intense, highly competitive matches, the locals were eliminated in the Sunday morning Tier 2 round of sixteen earlier this month.
The loss brought to an end a season in which the Chill had solidified their position in Division 2 (of the five Ontario brackets), the parity of that grouping evident in almost every one of the seven encounters the Sudbury girls would face in early April.
Kicking off preliminary round play on Friday afternoon in Kitchener/Waterloo, the Chill hit the win column immediately, going three full sets in order to take down Pakmen 14U from Mississauga, 21-25, 25-15, 15-12.
Back on the court an hour later, the locals again went three sets before succumbing to the Markham Wildcats Tigers, 21-25, 25-17, 14-16. The team would finish opening day with a record of 1-2, closing out the evening by dropping a 22-25, 19-25 decision to the Waterloo Tigers Black.
Power Pool play on Saturday would see the Chill sputter a touch out of the gate, beaten 14-25, 20-25 by the Barrie Elites Black 14U, but bouncing back nicely with a sweep of their own, 25-21, 27-25 over the Waterdown Raiders.
An epic battle would force the northern Ontario squad to call it a night on a losing note, just barely, as the Hamilton Smash Teal outlasted the Chill 20-25, 25-16, 22-20, going well beyond the 15-point plateau in earning the victory.
It was do or die time Sunday morning, as the Chill went spike for spike with Markham Unity West before being eliminated with a 25-17, 17-25, 11-15 setback at the hands of their GTA opponents.
"We have worked so hard all year and we have improved so much," noted head coach Joanna Castonguay. "Although we had moments when we demonstrated our growth, we just struggled with consistency."
"We had such a great year with these young ladies. Their commitment to the team and their improvement made them a joy to coach."
The 2017-2018 edition of the Northern Chill 15U girls team included Maggy Davidson, Emily Ayotte, Kiera Brabant, Josée Beauchamp, Faith Charbonneau, Isabelle Scratch, Kyla Parsons, Julianna Toppazzini, Fyscher McQueen, Bella Martelli, Sydney Nicholls, Danielle Stinson and coaches Joanna Castonguay and Claudette Loranger.
