The Lo-Ellen Park Knights are hoping that this OFSAA Girls Volleyball Championship is a little more to their speed.

A year ago, the Knights dropped the city final to the College Notre-Dame Alouettes. Forced to compete at the "AAA" level, Lo-Ellen did manage to secure the NOSSA banner, but were in awfully tough against the best teams, from larger schools, in the province, posting a record of 0-4 at OFSAA in Burlington.

"Last year, we went in knowing that the competition was pretty intense and that our chances weren't great," noted grade 12 veteran Sidney Melanson, one of a good handful of returning Knights who were able to turn the tables on CND last month at the city final, and then parlay that into a berth at the OFSAA "AA" tournament in Kingsville.

"We went in last year for the experience," Melanson added. "I think this year, we actually have a chance at winning some games and hopefully doing pretty well, knock on wood."

The key, she said, is avoiding prolonged defensive struggles. "I think we can get in our own heads and our mental game is not always that strong when it comes to defence, sometimes," said Melanson. "But as soon as we get a really good offensive play, a really good kill, then we're fine, morale is up, and our defence gets better, after that."

It was an area in which Lo-Ellen particularly excelled, with the SDSSAA banner on the line, matching up with Notre-Dame, just as most had predicted at the start of the season in November. "I can't speak for everyone else, but I think we were both equally competitive," noted senior middle Erika Brown, referring to the CND/LOE rivalry.

"I think the difference between this year and last year is that we really did gel, on the court and off the court," she added. "We just really have a lot of fun this year." Looking to pursue her education in the fall at Queen's University, enrolling in the Health Sciences program, Brown first achieved notoriety on the local sports scene largely due to her prowess in track and field.

"I think ever since I started playing club volleyball in grade eight, some of the skills that I had in track, from being a runner, they helped me kind of stand out at volleyball tryouts," Brown stated. "Even though my (volleyball) skills were not as great as some of the girls who had started playing earlier, athletically, I was pretty good."

If the likes of Melanson and Brown provide some familiarity to the OFSAA experience for Lo-Ellen, so too does the last name of the setter, even if the 2020 provincials find a grade 10 newcomer making her debut, in this setting, for the Knights.

Sophie Gaffney picked right up where older sister Erin left off, the latter now busy with university studies at Dalhousie University in Halifax. "I think watching her, I always liked how she looked so fluid, and how the ball came out of her hands," said the younger Gaffney.

"I think we're a little different - we definitely do things in a little but of a different way."

Beyond the chemistry that Sophie needed to develop with the Lo-Ellen attackers came the natural nervousness one might expect with being the youngest player on the court. "The first few practices were just about establishing myself as part of the team," suggested Gaffney.

"I think I was a little more tentative than I am now. This team has been really great in accepting me and making me feel like part of the team. On the court, I try to not think aboiut the fact that I am younger than them, because there is a bit of leadership that comes with just being the setter."

The 2019-2020 edition of the Lo-Ellen Park Knights senior girls volleyball team includes Amelina Itturegui, Kyla Parsons, Katie Staffen, Sami Dunlop, Sophie Gaffney, Erika Brown, Emma Squires, Hannah Nordquist, Britney Bisaillon, Lauren Jeanneault, Sidney Melanson, Danielle Stinson, and coaches Sheldon Root and Steve Dunlop.