At one time, the group of Northern Chill girls scheduled to graduate from the high-school ranks next summer would face competition located pretty much entirely between Barrie and Sudbury in OVA (Ontario Volleyball Association) tournament action.

At the 18U bracket, that is simply no longer the case as the locals battle tooth and nail with some of the very best talent in the province. At the recent 18U Girls Challenge Cup – Select B tournament in Hamilton, the Northern Chill Black Vortex split their pool games in the morning, beaten by the Durham Attack Intensity (Oshawa – 16-25, 18-25) but toppling the #3 seeded Storm Twister from Aurora, 25-23, 25-18.

A B2 / C2 contest was, as might be expected, supremely close as the host Smash Raiders from Hamilton outlasted the Chill 25-19, 20-25, 15-13, the latter settling for seventh place following a 22-25, 19-25 loss to the Maverick Goldrush.

The 2025-2026 edition of the Chill 18U Black Vortex includes Mya Balfe, Elsa Blum, Maili Jutila, Mara Kahl, Madison Paris, Ellie Renaud, Nyah Robinson, Lilah Selby, Isabella Sooley, Cate Verlaan, Riley Larochelle, head coach Guy Perreault, assistant coach Lindsay Digby and team manager Jenn Selby.