Some more results, to finish up our coverage of Nationals… and many thanks to Andrew and the media staff at the tournament for all their coverage.

Ontario dominates tournament medals
Story by Andrew Bucholtz

The 17U/18U Canadian Open Volleyball Championships wrapped up today with Ontario teams claiming six out of seven divisional championships.

The best local showing came from the Ottawa Mavericks Desperados, who earned silver medals in 17U men’s Division I action after a close 29-27, 22-25, 15-17 loss to Forest City (London, ON).

Mavericks’ head coach Ron Clarke said the experience was a new one for his team.

“It’s the first time ever that our club has made it to the national championship finals,” he said.

Forest City head coach Justin Fish said having two Ontario teams in the national finals demonstrates that the province can be a volleyball powerhouse.

“I think it shows that maybe we deserve a little more respect than we’ve been getting,” he said. “I think it says a lot for Ontario volleyball, where they’ve come from and where they’re going.”

Another local team, the National Capitals 17U women’s squad, also found success, claiming the gold medal in Division I, Tier III with a 18-25, 26-24, 18-16 victory over the Action Impact (Vancouver, B.C.)

Many other Ontario teams earned prominent medals. The Pakmen (Mississauga, ON) defeated the defending national champion Bison Gold (Winnipeg, MB) 25-15, 22-25, 15-13 in the men’s 18U Division I final, played before a packed house Sunday afternoon in the Ravens’ Nest gymnasium at Carleton University. The Durham Attack Black (Oshawa, ON) claimed the women’s 17U Division I gold medal with a 25-21, 30-28 victory over the Storm (Brandon, MB), while the Pegasus Outrage (Kingston, ON) earned the women’s 17U Division II gold with a 23-25, 25-17, 15-11 win over the Georgetown Impact Black 16 (Georgetown, ON).

In lower divisions, the Storm Hurricanes (Aurora, ON) claimed the women’s 18U Division II gold with a straight-sets victory over the NAVC Gold Pandas (Sherwood Park, AB). In 18U Division III, the women’s Selects 90 (Brampton, ON) team won their championship match against the Grizzlis (Boucherville, Quebec) in three sets.

Ontario Volleyball Association President Brenda Willis said the amount of gold medals won by Ontario teams illustrates the improvement in the province’s volleyball infrastructure.

“The success at this championship speaks very well for the athlete development system in Ontario,” she said. “Between the good work the clubs are doing and our High Performance Centres, we feel we are facilitating a path of excellence.”

The Royals (Selkirk, MB) were the only non-Ontario team to win their division. They beat the Canuck Pulse (Calgary, AB) in the 18U women’s Division I final.

The tournament featured 202 club teams from all over Canada competing at five primary venues across the city. Scouts from universities and colleges across both Canada and the U.S. flocked to see this display of the top Canadian volleyball players, as did many members of the public.