WCI Red Devils senior girls’ volleyball team plays its best at OFSAA A

The Woodstock CI Red Devils captured the WOSSAA A senior girls’ volleyball title with a three-set homecourt win over the West Elgin Wildcats, simultaneously qualifying for the OFSAA A tournament in Toronto. Team members are (front row, left to right) Kaiden Martin, Ava Bickell, Chloe Melanson, Rachel Gibson, Sammi Grevers, Charlotte Piscione and Robyn Wilson. In the back, are coach Pauline Schubert, Chloe Knoll, Claire Harmer, Mikaela Runstedler, Aurora House, Kate Hooker, Mallory Hagen-Johnson, Lila Oliveria and coach Blair Windsor. (Jeff tribe Photo)

Jeff Tribe, Echo Correspondent

In a game where momentum can play a huge role, a timely dig, block or kill can turn a game around.

But sometimes, you also need someone willing to break the tension with an impromptu worm.

The sixth-seeded Woodstock CI Red Devils senior girls’ volleyball team responded to the Ontario Federation of School Athletics Associations A championship competition with some of its best volleyball of the season.

“The goal was to play well in quarterfinals,” said coach Pauline Schubert, a goal achieved if not exceeded following a 25-18, 25-15, 25-22 quarter-final loss to host Toronto UTS. “Overall, we are really proud of ourselves and what we did.

“The sadness was being over playing with each other not because we lost, because we played our best.”

UTS had one dominant player on its roster, a member of Team Canada committed to an NCAA Division 1 university scholarship, combining athleticism, height and power.

“All of the above,” said Schubert, noting the Red Devils did have a strategy, confounded by an athlete who could jump over an attempted block and put the ball to a spot. Her impact was illustrated by the closeness of the third set, during which she was subbed off, WCI closing the gap as a result.

“They had to put her back on to beat us,” said Red Devils setter Charlotte Piscione.

“We definitely played up to their level,” added left-side power Ava Bickell. “I was happy with how we played.”

WCI opened pool play against Ottawa Notre Dame Monday, March 3 in Toronto, getting the job done with back-to-back 25-17 set wins. The previous evening’s banquet had been a fun experience but also a little intimidating given the presence of 19 other teams, a majority of which were physically larger.

“And then there’s our little team - we’re all pretty small,” said Piscione. “We started playing and you could tell we were all really nervous.”

Their first set was definitely not their best volleyball. Bickell agreed, but getting through it along with Schubert’s advice to ‘take a breath, we’ve got this,’ successfully gave the Red Devils a welcome boost.

“We had won our first set at OFSAA.”

In their second match against 11th seed St. Michael CHS, the Red Devils took the first set by a reasonably comfortable 25-18 margin and were leading in the second when a five-serve St. Mike’s run caused Schubert to call time out.

Bickell helped the momentum-breaking tactic along, hitting the floor to relieve the growing tension with her own rendition of a dance move reputedly originating in the 1970s.

“She helped reset us with some comedy,” smiled Schubert. “We have our own special way of doing that.

“Expect the unexpected,” she added, “and good things will come.”

The unorthodox manoeuvre worked, with WCI closing out the set and match via a tight 25-23 victory.

“I feel like that was one of our best,” said Bickell. “We played up to our level.”

There had been some pre-game jitters, added Piscione, how taller opponents were pounding the ball in warm-up. However, once the Red Devils got into their game, she felt they had played as well as they did at Western Ontario Secondary Schools Athletic Association (WOSSAA) A championships.

“We were working really well together and had lots of energy.”

WCI faced top-seeded Toronto De La Salle College in its third and final day-one match. De La Salle would ultimately back up that seeding with a gold medal victory. With realistic expectations and the Red Devils’ typically strong service game a little off, Schubert was still pleased with 25-15, 25-14 losses.

“I feel no one was disappointed with our performance. That was really good to carry over into day two.”

Technically, the ESC Renaissance Royals WCI closed out pool play against the following morning were seeded 20th, although performed far above that expectation through a 25-20, 25-17 Red Devils victory.

“This team was not seeded correctly; they were very good,” said Schubert. “We had a great game because they made us work really hard.”

In closing, she looked back on a regular Thames Valley Regional Athletics regular season in which WCI lost but one set and earned a hard-fought WOSSAA A championship.

“I was so privileged to be able to coach. They worked hard, they were motivated, and they were just really nice people.”