U15 Blue Buffalo Bound
April 1, 2010

With Ontario Provincials a mere three weekends away, both IC 15U Girls teams, Black and Blue were Buffalo-bound and looking for medals. There was much excitement crossing the border the Saturday before what would be a rare Sunday tourney. As the girls and parents enjoyed team dinner on the Saturday evening, no one expected the excitement that was to follow the next day at the Buffalo Niagara Court Centre.

For the Blue team, the day began intensely with a match against the Raiders. In the first game, IC fought out a close win, 27-25, with Jacquie Gigan delivering the clutch final serve. In the second game, an 18-25 loss had the Blue team settle on splitting 1 point each with Raiders.

The second match pitted Blue against a very loud squad, Niagara Frontier Lightning. In the first game, despite a slow start, the team fought back to even the score and create an important time-out at 15-15. After this time-out, Blue started a strong march to the finish line, punctuated by a dramatic one-handed dig by Ali Keene, forcing Niagara to call a time out at 20-15. Yet, by game end , it had become a nail-biter and IC pulled out the win in a 25-23 game with two winning serves by Quinn Brown. In the second game, perhaps due to much discussion of officiating, momentum was lost and Niagara won the game 25-20. Another split and a single point, however Blue felt they were on their game and well positioned to take their pool.

Two split matches set up an important third pool match against Bloomfield Extreme. The Blue team started slowly after a Tim Horton’s run. A sluggish start was reversed by what was described by some spectators as a “Bobby Orr-esque” lunging bump by Ali Keene. With that, IC started picking up some momentum – Aida Retta put a string of serves together and Quinn Brown delivered strong spikes - as IC manufactured a 25-19 stellar comeback. The Blue team built on this close win to easily defeat Extreme 25-7 in game two and take second place in their pool as they moved to the playoff round.

In the first playoff, Blue faced a top-seeded Niagara Frontier Ice Flames team. Amber Urbshas set an early, positive tone with a string of successful serves, helping IC stride ahead early in the set. However, Blue knew this one wouldn’t be easy and by the time Coach Jim Konrad called the first time-out, Blue trailed 19-18. The re-focus led Blue to a 21-19 lead. However, after a Niagara surge to tie the game at 23, the two teams traded points until Blue finally surrendered 28 – 26. Game two proved more encouraging. Zoe Starkman delivered back – to – back kills and IC recovered from a 2 - 6 deficit to set in motion a 25-18 win. In the tie breaker, with parents on seat-edge at an 11-11 tie, the Blue team dug deep for a 15-12 win. After so many close wins, the players and parents were starting to look to the finals.

However, to get the Gold medal game, Cobra Volleyball stood in the way. A first game loss of 19 – 25 would test Blue’s team character. Stepping up in game two, Winnie Zhao ran up several clutch serving points early, forcing Cobras to call a TO at 8-4. The Cobras battled back to tie and the two teams traded points for the rest of the game. With players, coaches and parents sweating on the court and bench, the winning point went to IC Blue - the win, 26-24! With a win in the tie-breaker it would be off to the Gold medal game. Next … a quick lead for Blue… it’s 7-2 early. Time out Cobras at 10 - 2. Game over, 15 – 6! Blue now faces IC Black in what will be a Gold and Silver day for Interclub.

Despite warm-up smiles and familiar faces, by the time the first ball was tossed, both IC Black and Blue (and parents) were focused on finishing the day with a win. With close wins all day long, the Blue team felt anything was possible.

The first game was another close affair. Serves by Jacquie Gigan and Emily McQllcum and timely spikes by Nikki Nathanielsz kept Blue close. However, Black fought out a 25-19 win. Yet, given a day of reversals, anything was still possible.

In game two for the gold medal, the Blue team jumped out to an early 6-2 lead. Everyone on the court, the bench and in the stands knew this game would be close. Black re-focused and fought back to take a 22-23 lead. Blue tied the game on a key rally. Facing the prospect of going to a third game with a Blue team that had been making surprising upsets all day, Black found the extra gear and scored two decisive points to take the match 23-25 and the Gold Medal. Blue takes the satisfaction of the Silver and a 1-2 Interclub sweep of the tournament.

The intensity of the tournament and the positive result for both teams had all players, coaches and parents leaving Buffalo feeling exhausted yet also optimistic for both teams’ chances at Provincials. All the Blue players saw their share of the court and could take satisfaction in their team’s performance. Coach Jim Konrad offered his summary of the Blue team’s play as both “Spicy..,” and “one of our best efforts as a team this season”.

Both teams are back in action on April 10th in a tournament at Bishop Strachan School.

U15 Girls Blue heads to North Bay
March 18th, 2010

15U Blue travelled to North Bay on February 27th to continue their journey towards the Provincial Championships. Despite snow and distance, the determined team and parents trekked to the Bugarski Cup looking to build on their recent advance to Championship Division in their last provincial tournament.

The day started strongly with a determined team building on recent accomplishments. 15U Blue won first place in Pool B play.

In the first match, the Blue team defeated Aurora’s Storm Blast, the highest ranked team in their pool, 25 – 21, 25 – 18. The Blue team jumped out in front quickly and never looked back featuring Aida Retta with a nice serving run and Mina Papic’s solid setting. Ali Keene delivered some unbelievable digs and back court hits.

In the second match, the Blue team pulled out a hard fought victory against the host team North Bay Blizzards 24 – 26; 25 – 21; 15 – 13. This tight match proved to be the difference as the Blue team claimed first place for the pool. Strong serves with some good passing and the never give up attitude of the team brought the win. Mina Papic had 3 great blocks and Winnie Zhao’s straight down game ending block were the highlights of the game.

In the third pool match against Kingston’s Pegasus the Blue team came up just short 22 – 25 ; 23 – 25. It was a gallant effort and coach Jim Konrad commented afterward “ We did not play to the level they had in the previous 2 matches. Passing became an issue and the girls had trouble finishing an opponent I believe they should have beaten. However, overall a great job in pool play as it guaranteed us an opportunity to push for a medal.”

So it was on to the playoffs and the 15U Blue Girls first took on the Ottawa Fusion. It was a great effort by all: Nikki Nathanielsz and Jacquie Gigan providing point-making hits; Ege Sarikaya solid with her serves; Zoe Starkman shutting down the opposition with her blocks; and Maya Shikatani delivering some timely tips at the net. Amber Urbashas subbed into the match and was solid with her serves, bumps and hits. However, after success in the pool play the Blue team could not find the 5th gear needed for the playoffs particularly in the second game. The Blue team fought hard in the second game and were very close to showing they could challenge for a medal. However, in the end the team went down to defeat 14 – 25; 22 – 25. Serving was fairly consistent but passing and finishing hits against a taller and bigger team got the best of the Blue team in the end. The Ottawa Fusion would ultimately end their day taking the silver medal.

In the consolation round, the Blue team once again faced Pegasus. Coincidently, the result was exactly the same as the in pool play. Another hard fought game yet a loss by the same score: 22 – 25; 23 – 25. The 15U Girls Blue team had to settle for a 7th place finish.

Jim summed up the day, “The team had an incredible opportunity to be in the top four for this tournament and prove that they are a deserving Championship Div team but we were a tired group with the long travel and missing some of our players. The morning was our best play and the girls did step up. However, playoffs is a different level especially with provincial rankings on the line. Blue will learn from this experience and is going to be working hard to prepare for Buffalo at the end of the month and the very important Provincial Championships in April. I am very proud of the girls for working hard to finish 7th. We are very close to being a medal team in Championship Division”.

The 15U Blue team now takes a break from weekend play to work towards their next tournament in Buffalo on Sunday, March 28th.

U15 Girls Blue heads back to Championship Div.
Feb 13th, 2010

Vancouver wasn't the only place for winning medals this past weekend.

On February 13th, The Girls U15 Blue team was in Stouffville in the Challenge Cup. The team entered this tournament hungry for a top finish in order improve its position as it heads into the important run for rankings for the Provincials. A Gold or Silver performance would move the team back up into the Championship Tier.

The team started the day by winning their Pool with a record of 2-0-1. Pool Play was indeed a team victory with all players seeing the court and strong contributions from all.

In the first match of the day against Ms Pakmen, the team started strongly in both games yet faced a determined opposition and had to settle for a tie (25-22, 22-25)

However, the girls were able to refocus and stepped up to win impressively in their next two matches against Waterdown Raiders White (25-10, 25-12) and the Cambridge Hawks (25-18, 25-10).

Throughout pool play, Quinn Brown showed strong play on the net fed by Mina Papic's solid playmaking and setting.

The team was impressive through the first two matches of the playoff round moving confidently into the Gold Medal game. The girls soundly defeated Markham Stingers Black (25-18, 25-13) and Waterdown Raiders Black (25-16, 25-22) to challenge for the Gold.

Emily McIlquham, battling a nagging shoulder injury, consistently stepped up with great saves and timely points. Zoe Starkman's net play dominated competitors throughout the playoff matches.

In the Gold Medal Game against the Etobicoke Titans the girls jumped out quickly with a 25-14 win in Game 1. After dropping the second game 13-25 the day came down to a nail biter in Game 3. The girls took the lead early yet the game went to extra points and a heartbreaking 14-16 loss. In the end, the U15 Blue Girls had to settle for a Silver Medal finish.

At the end of the day, the team and Coach Jim Konrad could take satisfaction in achieving their goal of moving up to the Championship Tier.

However, falling short of the Gold so late in long, hard fought day brought with it an important lesson and also a feeling of more work to do.

Jim commented after the day: "This will be a great learning experience for the team with all of our players continuing to gain experience and confidence on the court"

U15 Blue is back in action Saturday February 20th in a 16U tournament.

Interclub Blue 15U back on track
Feb 6, 2010

Pool play started first thing at 9AM and Interclub Blue 15U played a back and forth match versus Etobicoke Titans. IC Blue went all out after losing the first game 20-25 and won the second by a score of 25-21. The athletes had their next game immediately and played the Port Perry Panthers. The girls scored a 25-18 and 25-20 victory. Winning the pool was a good news/bad news story as the win, and a scheduling problem in one gym, meant a four hour wait for the next game. That would be their first playoff game and it would be against the Ottawa Fusion.

The first game was a thriller, with Interclub on the wrong end of a 25-27 score. The second game wasn’t as close and the girl’s loss, 20 - 25, qualified them for one more game to finish the tournament in 5th or 7th position. Strong play in the middle by Winnie Zhao and Aida Retta helped to keep the games against Ottawa within reach at all times. Mina Papic, Blue Setter, ran the floor well as she continues to build confidence with the team and pull apart opposing teams defence. Both coaches and players felt Blue played well and with work on passing and transition it was a match IC U15 Blue will look to win in the future.

The final match of the day was against the Clarington Grizzlies with Interclub Blue winning the first game 25-18, with excellent play from Nikki Nathanielsz, a long successful serving run from Ege Sarikaya and strong passing and digging from Amber Urbshas. In game 2, a rough start saw the score 6-1 against Blue, but the weak start was more than matched by an excellent finish with the score never being more than a two point difference. The team showed excellent character and after one final, great swing by Aida Retta that the Grizzlies couldn’t block, Interclub Blue 15U had a 25-23 win and 5th place finish in this 16U tournament.

With all non injured players seeing court time 15U Blue prepares themselves to focus on a win in this coming weekend U15 OVA Tournament in Stouffville. Expectations will be set high as IC U15 Blue continues their journey this season. IC U15 Blue will give its all to prove they are a team to be respected on the court every time they play.

IC 15U BLUE GIRLS IN TOUGH AT 16U TOURNEY
December 5th, 2009

Interclub 15U Blue was looking to make it two Gold medals in a row this past weekend at Rick Hansen Secondary School in Mississauga for the 16U Girls Provincial Cup tournament. The previous weekend, IC 15U Blue had moved up to Tier I Championship Level and proven themselves as a contender with an emotional GOLD medal win marked by a number of impressive comeback victories. This past weekend the team took on 16U teams from across the province and proved themselves to be a tough competitor even at the higher level of play. However, this time, the comebacks fell short – particularly in the opening playoff match and the team had to settle for 9th place out of the 12 team field. Of four matches played on the day, the IC 15U Blue finished 2 and 2.

The day started against 16U Durham Region VC Orange with a 20/25 and 14/25 opening match loss. However, the team immediately refocused and followed up with a gritty, tight win against the 16U Barrie Elites in 26/24 and 26/24 in their second pool match. The first game against Barrie was highlighted by an impressive comeback where at one point the team was down 4/15 and came back to take the lead. With the win, the team finished in second place in their pool.

In the opening match of the playoff round, the Blue team was in tough against the 16U Orillia Suns and a victory could have easily gone either way. Despite fighting hard and again demonstrating the ability to stage comebacks to challenge for the win, the team came up just short. The final scores were 20/25 and 23/25 and the Blue team had to settle for the consolation round. However, the tourney and the 2009 season ended on a positive, winning note with an impressive victory over the 16U Richmond Hill Raiders 25/19 and 25/21.

Highlights for the day:

First Game MVP: Ali Keen (LS), with 8 serves, 4 Kills a great dig and focused passing
Second Game MVP: Emily McIlquham (LS), 4 aces, 8 kills solid passing and digging
Third Game MVP: Jacquie Gigan (RS) with 100% serves in
Fourth Game MVP: Ege Sarikaya (LS) with a 13 point service run, Niki Nathanielsz (LS) with strong play out of power and Amber Urbshas with consistent passing in the final match

Over the course of the day, all twelve players saw action. Importantly, the team left Mississauga feeling that after their Gold medal performance of the prior week and their level of competitiveness in the 16U age category, they will be a team to watch and will certainly be a threat in future Provincial play. Coach Jim Konrad summarized today’s play and the lessons learned afterward, “The mental toughness of our team is getting impressive. We are quickly learning that it is in our control to keep other teams from getting on point runs against us and we really have a never give up attitude that will carry us towards our goal this season. I am also happy that all of our players had a chance to see court time this weekend”.

The 15U Blues journey continues in the New Year on January 9th with another 16U tournament in preparation for an important 15U qualifying tournament on January 16th.

IC U15 BLUE GIRLS TAKE GOLD!
November 28th, 2009

This past weekend, November 28th, InterClub U15 Blue Team captured their first Gold Medal of the Season at the OVA 15U Girls Provincial Cup Tournament! With strong leadership on the floor as well as the bench U15 Blue knocked off the Durham Attack U14 Quarter Final, Diamonds Black U15 Semi Final and the Scarborough Titans Dynasty U15 team in a thrilling 3 set come from behind victory in the Gold Medal Final.

The U15 Blue team showed strong stats in serving and was led in kills by Emily McIlquham (LS) with 22, followed by Quinn Brown (LS) with 16. Zoe Starkman (M), Captain of U15 Blue, had an exceptional day with 15 Kills and 10 point ending blocks including 4 major points during the gold medal match and the game ending block. Mina Papic, setter for U15 Blue, had 9 serving aces and ran the floor with increasing confidence setting up U15 Blue offence and guiding her team to the Gold Medal victory. With all U 15 Blue players seeing the floor Ali Keene (LS) stood out with strong serving inclusive of 3 serving aces and 4 kills of her own.

Scores for the Gold Medal Match: (Set 1) Titans 25/IC Blue 22. (Set 2) IC Blue 25/Titans 20. (Set 3) IC Blue 15/Titans 8.

U15 Blue with be attending 16U Girls Provincial Cup December 5, 2009 at Rick Hanson – Mississauga. Schedule for the event is now available via the InterClub website. Congratulations Girls on your first big win of the Season!

Tournament Schedule:

11/28/2009        OVA 15U
12/5/2009          OVA 16U
1/9/2010           OVA 16U
1/16/2010          OVA 15U
1/23/2010          BSS 15/16U
2/13/2010          OVA 15U
2/20/2010          OVA 16U
2/27/2010          OVA 15U
3/6/2010            OVA 17U
3/27/2010          BSS 16U
4/23/2010          OVA Provincials 15U