Red Devils ride ‘M’-omentum to junior girls’ volleyball victory

Huron Park’s Shonique Bertam (left) and WCI’s Lily Melanson have a ‘high-level discussion’ at the net. (Jeff Tribe Photo)

Jeff Tribe, Echo Correspondent

Momentum is part of every sport.

However, it’s arguable that in volleyball, it should be spelled with a capital ‘M’ for its well-demonstrated ability to turn a game, set and match’s outcome on a dime.

The Dec. 17 TVRA South East junior girls’ matchup between the Woodstock Huron Park Huskies and host Woodstock CI Red Devils provided a perfect case in point.

“The volleyball karma of sorts,” summed up WCI coach Jeff Melanson following a 26-24, 25-17, 25-15 match victory whose scores most definitely did not tell the whole tale. “I don’t know how to put it beyond that.”

The Huskies had opened up a comfortable 20-12 lead in the first set, and appeared well en route to victory, with positive implications for the match. However, Red Devils power Hope McMichael turned a long first pass headed into the net into a leaping desperation and scoring tip.

“I just really wanted a point,” recalled McMichael, a setter with her Ontario Volleyball Association (OVA) team, who plays well beyond her 5 foot 2 height at power for WCI.

“I try to never get my hopes down,” she added, “but we had to come back for sure.”

WCI closed the gap with a series of conservative underhanded serves from Allison VanDer Wyngaard, off-speed deliveries if you will which dropped short against a Huskies defence struggling in the moment to adjust.

“I feel like we lost a point and everyone lost their momentum,” said Huron Park’s Stella Green.

“And the feeling we were going to win,” added middle Shantel Henry.

The game hung in the balance as the score closed to 24-23 as both squads had their chances before the Red Devils closed out the 26-24 win on a Lily Melanson kill and McMichael service winner, respectively.

“Just never give up, you can always come back,” said McMichael, who also powered the set-two game-winning point home on a kill past a Green’s block attempt.

Having found their collective volleyball legs, WCI finished off the match victory with a comfortable set three win.

“It’s all about the mind,” Henry summed up.

“Volleyball is very much a mind game,” Green agreed. “Very much.”

The Huskies teammates got no argument from WCI coach Melanson.

“It shifts really quickly, right?” he agreed.

“You can’t get overconfident when you get up by six points,” the WCI bench boss added. “You flip the coin too. If you’re down, you say let’s have a short memory and claw back into this point by point.”

Melanson’s preferred approach is avoiding over-coaching during game play, letting his players figure things out as much as they can.

“Sometimes it’s good to have adversity.”

He does try to prepare his team during practice, however, simulating closing out games by setting a theoretical score of 20-20.

“What does it take to get over that hump? We play that mind game.”

TVRA South East Junior Girls Volleyball

Thursday, January 9

Woodstock Huron Park 25, 25, 17, 23, 15; Woodstock St. Mary’s CHS 16, 15, 25, 25, 6

Tillsonburg Glendale 20, 25, 25, 17, 17 ; Ingersoll DCI 25, 22, 22, 25, 15

Woodstock CI 25, 24, 25, 25; Woodstock College Avenue 13, 16, 19, 22

Tuesday, January 7

Ingersoll DCI 25, 25, 25; College Avenue 11, 14, 15

St. Mary’s 26, 25, 25; St. Thomas Central Elgin 24, 19, 22

Lord Dorchester 25, 25, 19, 19, 15; Woodstock CI 17, 15, 25, 25, 6

Tuesday, December 17

Lord Dorchester 25, 22, 19, 25, 15; Ingersoll DCI 21, 25, 25, 12, 8

Woodstock CI 26, 25, 25; Woodstock Huron Park 24, 17, 15

Thursday, December 12

Ingersoll DCI 25, 25, 25; Huron Park 12, 17, 15

Glendale 25, 26, 25; St. Mary’s CHS 14, 24, 16

St. Thomas St. Joe’s 25, 25, 25; Woodstock College Avenue 12, 20, 8

Senior

Thursday, January 9

Ingersoll DCI 25, 25, 28; Tillsonburg Glendale 19, 20, 26

Huron Park 25, 25, 25; St. Mary’s 11, 11, 7

Wednesday, January 8

Woodstock CI 25, 25, 27; College Avenue 17, 11, 25

Tuesday, January 7

Woodstock CI 25, 25, 25; Lord Dorchester 15, 21, 12

Parkside 25, 25, 25; Huron Park 15, 12, 19

Central Elgin 25, 25, 25; St. Mary’s 17, 20, 11

Ingersoll DCI 25, 25, 25; College Avenue 9, 15, 18

Wednesday, December 18

Central Elgin 25, 23, 25, 25; Woodstock E.S. Notre Dame 15, 25, 20, 16

Tuesday, December 17

Woodstock CI 25, 25, 25; Huron Park 16, 19, 19

Ingersoll DCI 25, 25, 25; Lord Dorchester 10, 21, 13

St. Thomas St. Joe’s 25, 25, 25; Notre Dame 15, 17, 14