Cloverdale's RainCity Rush volleyball team gained some well-deserved attention and accolades at the Canadian Under-16 Girls' Volleyball Championships held at Calgary’s Olympic Oval over the May long weekend.
The tournament brought together 104 teams from most provinces and territories across Canada to compete in four divisions at the Oval on the sprawling campus of the University of Calgary. The Rush played in the top division and finished fifth overall out of 104 teams. In fact, several B.C. teams had success with two other teams finishing in the top eight – Surrey’s Force and Vancouver’s BCO -– and with White Rock’s Seaside Surf, Vancouver’s Thunder, and Coquitlam’s Ducks finishing 11th, 14th and 17th respectively. Overall many B.C. volleyball teams were very strong and finished well.
The competitive club season went well for the RainCity Rush with strong finishes at several tournaments throughout the season. The girls then took their game to the next level at the recent B.C. championships. The Rush faced the Seaside Surf in a thrilling semi-final game with the winner to go on to the gold medal match, but Rush lost in a heart-breaking third tie-breaker set by only five points. However, Rush finished the Provincials in a very respectable fourth place of the 52 teams with middle blocker Nicole Chevrier named as one of the six tournament all-stars and the entire team and coaches feeling happy and confident heading into nationals.
“The team gelled at the right time, worked very hard for each other, and finished strong which gave the players and us coaches a good feeling heading into the national championships,” said Sara Corneil, head coach of the Rush.
In the first day of nationals in Calgary the Rush won their first two matches and then beat the tournament’s number one seeded team from Ontario in an exciting late evening game to head into day two as the tournament’s new top seed. This made many other teams and coaches take notice that Rush was a serious contender and not to be underestimated.
The second day saw an unlikely pooling of four B.C. teams facing each other. It began for the Rush with an exciting win over the Coquitlam Ducks, followed by a close loss to the always tough Vancouver BCO squad, leaving the final game of the day to decide their fate for the playoffs on the final day of the competition. Rush again faced Provincial Silver medallists Seaside Surf in another late evening game with Seaside taking the first set, but Rush stormed back to win the second set forcing yet another tie-breaker third set, creating a feeling of déjà vu from the Provincials just two weeks earlier. Seaside took an early lead in the set but with the crowd cheering them on RainCity Rush fought back to win 15-13 in one of the tournament’s most exciting matches.
On the last day, playoff action opened with the Rush playing an early game on just a few hours sleep after their thrilling win over Seaside the previous evening. Facing the top team from Manitoba, they came out slow and lost the first set but adrenaline took over and they quickly bounced back, and playing with heart and determination took the second set from a surprised Manitoba Shock in an exciting match that many fans stopped to watch. The tie-breaker set would decide who would play for a medal, but the Shock came out on top 15-10 and Rush’s medal dreams were halted, while the Shock went on to win the Silver medal. While disappointing to lose, it was this match that really garnered the attention and applause for Rush from many fans, teams, and coaches who watched and respected their determination and outcomes.
“All year we've played very well, developed the girls’ skills, and played all players in every tournament,” noted Corneil. “This strategy gave our team the depth, experience, and stamina when we needed it for the provincials and nationals and that’s when the girls dug deep, believed in each other, and rose to new heights. We didn’t win a medal but our 5th place finish in Canada is golden to us! I’m so happy for the girls – they have big futures ahead of them.”
While noting that every player gave it their all and played exceptionally well, Corneil singled out middle Nicole Chevrier, setter Darby Dunn, and left side hitter Claudia Corneil for their consistently strong play in these national championships.
To top of their season, Coach Corneil was also honored by Volleyball BC with the 2013 Development Coach award. An award very well-deserved noted the Rush players and parents, and the RainCity club director Jeni Robinson.
The RainCity Volleyball club is a non-profit, volunteer run club based in Cloverdale that provides opportunities for young female and male athletes to participate in volleyball for both the love of the game and the pursuit of excellence in the sport. For more information, visit http://raincityvc.webs.com