
In the end, there was far more on the line in the rematch of the Northern Chill 16U Black Cyclones battle with Lakeside Volleyball Club from Oakville, last Saturday – and thankfully, that would be the match in which the Sudbury girls would prevail.
The two teams opened the 16U Girls McGregor Cup – Select B tournament in Oakville with an 8:45 a.m. showdown, as Lakeside upended the northern crew, 17-25, 25-19, 15-6. The Chill earned the pool split a little over an hour later, sweeping past the Georgetown Impact Invasion, 25-18, 25-20, to earn a second place finish in Pool C.
Matched against the Pool B counterpart in quarter-final action, the Black Cyclones slipped past Defensa of Burlington, 24-26, 25-19, 15-12 to book their place in the final four. The eventual gold medal winning Titans Athena (Scarborough) proved to be too much for the locals to handle as the number one seed, pre-tournament, held true to form with a 25-11, 25-20 victory over the Chill.
This would bring coach Carrie Welsh and company full circle, facing Lakeside for a second time with bronze medals as the bounty in this contest. Payback was sweet for the Black Cyclones, defeating the hometown reps 25-16, 25-21 to finish third in the field of nine teams.
The 2024-2025 Northern Chill 16U Black Cyclones Girls unites the following young ladies: Josslyne Ouellette, Alexie Paquette, Caelyn Mahoney, Rebecca George, Sarah Crittenden, Macie Barlow, Mina-Emilly McCoshen, Harlym Triff, Marissa MacLean, Adelina Naghi, Cassidy Warren, head coach Carrie Welsh, assistant coach Tess Peterson and manager Jennifer Warren.