Coach
Mike Hubicki (905) 342-5558
Asst. coach
Patti Ley (905) 372-6118
Asst. coach
Carol Selby-Reed (905) 623-0985
On January 10, 2009 the Breakers U14 Boys volleyball team competed in the Ontario Volleyball Association’s 2009 McGregor Cup. The boys went 5 -1, suffering their only defeat of the day in the gold medal match. Everyone was extremely proud of a silver medal in our first competition of the season.
The day started off shakily as no substitutes were available for our first match. Our 6 players took to the floor, some in new positions, and quickly beat the Maverick team 2 games straight. Nathan Shakura distinguished himself throughout his first match playing middle. Jean Sebben served several aces and passed the ball well. We dominated our second match winning 2 games straight against the Stouffville Stingers. Mitch Wildenbeest served well and made several key passes while Reilly Reed dominated the middle with strong blocking and several kills. Although injured, Sam Cortesis supported the team all day, keeping stats, graphing game scores and scouting our opponents.
Our third match was against our pool’s other undefeated team, Durham Attack Black. Led by the swarming defense of Ethan Baron and huge blocking and attacking of Blake Scheerhoorn, we again prevailed winning 2 straight. With three wins, we clinched first place in our pool and a cross-over match against the other pool’s fourth place team.
Our playoffs started off well with a resounding 2 game to none victory against a tall St. Michaels team. Our setters Brad Crain and Curtis Smeding dominated the game creating numerous plays that we finished with strong attacks. Our semi-final game was against the Scarborough Titans who had, the month before, bested us in a tie-breaker. With strong serving and team defense we quickly dispatched of the Titans in two games straight.
Having worked so hard since October we were eager to meet our Gold medal opponents…Durham Attack Black. Even though we’d previously bested Attack in pool play we knew they would be a different team in the championship game. After jumping out to quick leads in both games we eventually were outscored by Attack in two close games. Silver medal was still sweet. We exceeded our expectations and are looking forward to perfecting our technique and tactics as we prepare for the remainder of our season.
With this top 4 finish the Breakers U14 Boys team advances to the OVA Championship Tier and will play against the province’s top teams.
At the recent Ontario Volleyball Association 14-and-under boys’ Hawkins Cup tournament, the host Northumberland Breakers won what their coach considers to be the most critical match of the day, and it wasn’t the gold medal match. Instead, it was the first playoff contest, which is a quarterfinal where teams cross over to play an opponent from the other pool after the round-robin portion of the tournament. The winner carries on as one of the top four remaining teams with the chance to compete for a medal. “That’s always the most important one,” Breakers coach Patti Ley said of the quarterfinal match-up.
In round-robin play, the Breakers earned a sweep over the Toronto Aces, 26-24 and 25-15. They also lost two matches that both went to a third and deciding set. One was to the Vaughan Wolf Pack (25-23, 19-25, 8-15) and the other to the Kingston Cats (22-25, 25-7, 10-15).
Kingston was a team that the Breakers should have been favoured to beat, noted Ley. It was a learning experience for her players. “They learned they could be beat by a weaker team if they’re not focused,” the coach said. “Next game, they were all business.” Northumberland earned a hard-fought win in its quarterfinal match, over the Toronto Boys, in straight sets, 25-17 and 25-22. Ley made sure her players rested and had a small nutritious meal before facing the Boys. “They really do understand that it’s the most important match,” she said. “They answered the call and never gave up.”
In a semifinal match-up, the Breakers lost 2-1 (22-25, 26-24, 9-15) to the Wolf Pack, which Ley described as their toughest opponent at the tournament. A victory (26-24, 25-16) over the Ottawa Maverick Bandits clinched the bronze medal for the Breakers, with the Ottawa Kangaroos winning the tournament with a victory over the Wolf Pack.