Getting stronger as the event wore on, the Northern Chill 18U Smashers girls gave themselves an OVA (Ontario Volleyball Association) send off to remember at their final appearance at Provincials last weekend in Kitchener-Waterloo.

The Chill were getting their monies worth on day, going the full three sets in all three of their pool games. The locals managed to squeeze a 18-25, 25-22, 16-14 win over the Chatham Ballhawks between losses to both the Thundercats Rise from Vaughan (26-24, 23-25, 9-15) and the Ottawa Fusion Purple (23-25, 25-10, 9-15).

Having been bumped down from their #3 seeding in Division 2 to #11 to begin play on Saturday, the Chill caught fire, sweeping all three of their matches in straight sets. Victories over the Maverick Colts from Ottawa (25-17, 25-13), the South County Bandits from Windsor (25-14, 25-15) and the Smash Raiders Bolt from Hamilton (25-16, 26-24) had the Sudbury crew on a roll heading into the final day of play.

Jumping back to the top tier of the Division 2 bracket but seeded eighth, the Chill Smashers drew the top seeded and eventual gold medal winning Defensa of Burlington squad. A 25-27, 19-25 quarter-final loss may have been disappointing, but it was the closest anyone came to downing the team that did not drop a set on day three.

The 2024-2025 edition of the Northern Chill 18U Smashers that finished the season ranked 21st overall in Ontario (88 teams in the division) amassed the volleyball skills of Andréa Bernard, Selena Sauve, Reece Crane, Emma Perreault, Kaylee Seguin, Abby Laurin, Kayiesha Thomas, Olivia Nicholls, Camille Barr and Jasmine Mills, under the tutelage of head coach Sheldon Root, assistant coach Jason Evans and team manager Sylvie Bernard.