By Dan Plouffe
The Maverick Mustangs earned Ottawa’s top result at April’s Ontario Volleyball Association championships, capturing an 18U boys’ division silver medal.
The Mavs went undefeated and won seven of eight matches in straight sets to reach the provincial final, where they faced a “legendary” Toronto Crush team that hadn’t lost a set to an Ontario opponent all season.
“The guys were very satisfied,” says coach François St-Denis, crediting improved serving for their 25-21 first-set victory prior to 25-13 and 15-11 defeats. “At least it showed we can play with them. Hopefully we put that fear into them before nationals.”
Grade 12 Béatrice-Desloges high school student Bruno Lortie won the Ken Davies Memorial Award for the athlete who best demonstrates determination, leadership, athletic ability, sportsmanship and fair play – an honour his older brother received three years earlier.
“I was so happy to see him – he got to see the whole ceremony on Skype,” details Lortie, who will join Jérémie at Université Laval next year and play for the Rouge et Or along with Mavs teammate Patrick Goulet.
“It’s always been my dream to play with my brother,” Lortie adds. “We’re really close.”
Ottawa’s next best result came from the Fusion 16U boys, who won bronze.
“Their work ethic and attention to detail was very good all the way through,” highlights coach Colin Walker, who was impressed by his players’ maturity and professionalism. “I’m really proud of the way they dedicated themselves to the weekend of volleyball.”
Walker also coaches the Mavs 15U Stampede girls, who won Tier 2 gold – a notable achievement for an injury-riddled group that lost Alina Dormann midway through the event when she had to have her appendix removed.
“They really had to gel and bond,” Walker notes. “They learned a lot about themselves.”
The Mavericks also placed fourth in the 17U boys’ event, and were quarter-finalists in 16U boys and 16U, 17U and 18U girls’ categories.
Local teams will now head to the national championships May 17-22 in Toronto for what is being billed as the largest event in Canadian sports history, with 10,000 athletes from the 14U to senior levels set to play on 80 courts at Exhibition Place’s Direct Energy Centre.
Team Canada’s Adam Simac of Ottawa will also line up in Toronto for World League play against Finland, Brazil, and Poland from May 18-20, which comes just days after the NORCECA continental Olympic qualifier in California.