Warriors sitting atop a highly competitive senior boys volleyball loop

St. Mary’s Warriors hitter J. Mazurklewicz puts the ball away against a tandem Tillsonburg Gemini block. (Jeff Tribe).

Jeff Tribe, Post Correspondent

It’s always fun to play against friends, said Woodstock St. Mary’s Warriors senior boys volleyball middle hitter Jack Verberne.

Particularly when you win.

“Oh yes, 100 per cent, 100 per cent,” he agreed following a 25-15, 25-17, 25-21 Thames Valley Regional Athletics Southeast victory over the visiting Tillsonburg Gemini Sept. 30 at St. Mary’s.

Pals Liam Nunn and Waylon Homenuik suit up for Tillsonburg, one of whom gave Verberne’s hand a hard squeeze in the post-game handshake line, opening up the possibility for a responsive chirp via text.

“I probably will,” Verberne smiled. “I probably will.”

The victory lifted the Warriors’ regular season record to a perfect 4-0, extended to 5-0 two days later with a 25-22, 25-21, 25-12 win over the visiting Aylmer East Elgin Eagles. A fast start, including earlier match victories over perennial TVRA Southeast powers from Ingersoll DCI and Woodstock CI, combined with bragging rights among friends, may have elevated Verberne’s mood, expectations and a lofty early-season goal.

“I want to win WOSSAA (Western Ontario Secondary Schools Athletic Association) at least,” he said. “Love to go to OFSAA (Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations provincial championships).

“Good team, good team this year,” Verberne added with a smile. “Have to set it (his goal) high.”

With 25 years of coaching experience, including an OFSAA AA boys’ soccer championship run this past spring, Warriors senior boys’ volleyball coach Valerie Popovich knows exactly what it takes to get to and be successful at the provincial level.

“Got a little work to do,” she understated, emphasizing the difficulty of matching goal with reality.

The Warriors do have lots of potential, she said, starting with a potent offence.

“We just need to work a little bit more on defence and just get more experience, more touches in.”

Happily, the TVRA Southeast is anticipated to provide a measure of the high-level competition every team looking to move forward seeks. Woodstock CI is up to AA this season, said Popovich. Woodstock Huron Park appears very strong, joining Ingersoll DCI, St. Thomas St. Joe’s and East Elgin on an incomplete list of potential contenders.

“Probably the strongest this division has been since I was coaching,” credited ‘Coach Pop’, who began with senior boys volleyball in 2017.

While some might consider that elevated standard a negative given the difficulty presented to advancing past WOSSAA and onward to provincials, Popovich welcomes the challenge as an opportunity to prepare for the post-season.

“The sport must be growing, which is always good.”

The junior Warriors completed a St. Mary’s sweep in their adjacent half of the gym, downing the junior Gemini 25-15, 25-13, 25-15.

“We had better fundamentals today, improved a lot on that from the start of the season,” said Warrior Ethan Van Rooyen.

The junior Warriors likewise added a victory over the East Elgin Eagles on Oct. 2 (25-15, 25-14, 22-25, 25-15) and also sit atop the TVRA Southeast standings in a three-way tie at 4-0 with WCI and St. Thomas Central Elgin.

The juniors are a comparatively young squad, said coach Denys Reid, with four returnees and a Grade 9 majority.

“But they’re stepping up, they’re all stepping up.”

His focus is on defence, theorizing with that approach, the offence will follow.

“And not trying to do too much, I guess,” he added. Keeping it simple.”

TVRA Southeast Boys Volleyball

Senior

Oct. 2

St. Mary’s 25, 25, 25; East Elgin 22, 21, 12

Woodstock CI 25, 18, 17, 25, 15; Ingersoll DCI 23, 25, 25, 19, 5

Tillsonburg Glendale 25, 25, 25; College Avenue 22, 19, 23

Sept. 30

Woodstock Huron Park 23, 25, 25, 25; Central Elgin 25, 23, 15, 19

Woodstock CI 25, 23, 25, 25, 15; St. Thomas Parkside 16, 25, 21, 23, 7

St. Mary’s 25, 25, 25; Glendale 15, 17, 21

Sept. 25

Woodstock CI 25, 25, 25; East Elgin 20, 20, 13

St. Mary’s 25, 25, 25; College Avenue 9, 19, 18

St. Thomas St. Joe’s 25, 25, 25; Ingersoll DCI 18, 17, 16

Parkside 25, 25, 25, 25, 13; Glendale 19, 9, 27, 24, 15

Sept. 23

Woodstock CI 25, 25, 25; College Avenue 14, 15, 20

St. Mary’s 25, 27, 25, Ingersoll DCI 23, 25, 23

Huron Park 23, 25, 13, 25, 15; St. Joe’s 25, 22, 25, 16, 12

Sept. 18

St. Mary’s 25, 14, 20, 29, 15; Woodstock CI 22, 25, 25, 27, 6

Junior

Oct. 2

St. Mary’s 25, 25, 22, 25; East Elgin 15, 14, 25, 12

Central Elgin 24, 25, 25, 25; Woodstock Huron Park 26, 17, 16, 23

Woodstock CI 22, 25, 25, 25; Ingersoll DCI 25, 23, 20, 23

Sept. 30

St. Thomas St. Joe’s 25, 25, 22, 25; Woodstock College Avenue 17, 16, 25, 17

Woodstock CI 25, 25, 21, 25; St. Thomas Parkside 19, 17, 25, 15

Ingersoll DCI 26, 25, 25, 19, 15; Huron Park 24, 18, 27, 25, 10

Sept. 25

St. Joe’s 25, 28, 22, 25; Ingersoll DCI 18, 26, 25, 20

St. Mary’s 25, 25, 25; College Avenue 8, 23, 19

Woodstock CI 25, 25, 25; East Elgin 22, 15, 20

Sept. 23

Woodstock CI 25, 25, 25; College Avenue 6, 13, 13

St. Joe’s 25, 25, 25; Huron Park 15, 7, 13

St. Mary’s 25, 25, 25; Ingersoll DCI 15, 20, 22