U18s at Nationals –

Earlier this month, our BYVC 18U team finished off their season and for some, finished off their club volleyball careers, representing Brantford-Brant at the Volleyball Canada National Championships in Calgary, AB.

 

The team came into the tournament in Division 3, seeded 15/32 in their division.

The tournament started with a practice day on May 17th – where the girls were required to become quickly accustomed to the facility, the Olympic Oval.

After a good practice, the girls were fired up to make their mark in Calgary.

On Day 1, the team had a slow start dropping the first set of the tournament (20-25) but showed fight to take the 3-set victory over Park Girls 18U (Edmonton, AB). The second game was another slow start, and despite the Tornado effort, the team came up short in a 2-set loss to the resilient and disciplined defense of Apex Xplosion (Vancouver, BC). The team finished their day and improved their match record to 2-1 when they defeated the QCVC Royal Purple (Regina, SK) in a hard fought 2-set victory. It was a bittersweet day because despite their 2nd place finish in the pool, the team knew that they were able to play more efficiently. Their goal was to continue with the momentum into Day 2 working as a solid unit.

Results:

W vs. Park Girls: 2-1 (20-25, 25-11, 15-5)

L vs. Apex Xplosion: 0-2 (24-26, 21-25)

W vs. QCVC Royal Purple: 2-0 (25-12, 25-21)

 

On Day 2, The team was re-pooled and came in as the 4th seed in their pool. The Power Pools of Day 2 were not kind to the Brant Tornadoes. After a quick loss in the first set (14-25) of the day to Bandits (Winnipeg, MB), the team seemed to be playing distracted and defeated. During the second set, outside hitter, Quinn McLeod sustained a tournament-ending ankle injury. She would be out for the rest of the tournament, but thanks to the determination and flexibility of the team, namely Lucia Ausman, who had to make the quick transition from Right Side to Outside Hitter, the team was able to put up a good fight to come back but ultimately lost to the Bandits in the second set (24-26) too. The team and the coaches needed to adapt quickly and made some changes to position the team but unfortunately, the team lost their second match of the day in 3 sets to the Jr. Cascades Summit (Abbotsford, BC); they put up a good fight but just were not able to finish. Finally, the team would not be able to take a set off their next opponents either and lost in 2 sets to LVC Kodiaks (Lethbridge, AB). With a 0-3 match record of the day, the team was moved to D3T2 for Playoffs.

Results:

L vs. Bandits: 0-2 (14-25,24-26)

L vs. Jr. Cascades Summit: 1-2 (12-25, 25-22, 14-16)

L vs. LVC Kodiaks: 0-2 (23-25, 12-25)

 

The team went into Day 3 feeling supported and encouraged by their fans back in Ontario. Thanks to the livestreaming of Kelly Lawlor, our fans at home were able to follow along on this very important, last day of Nationals.

The first match was against JCVC Crossfire (Saskatoon, SK). The tornadoes were determined and came out strong to advance to the semi-finals. The team was playing a little more efficiently but needed to be on their A-game if they wanted to be in medal-contention.

Results: W vs. JCVC Crossfire: 2-0 (25-16, 25-18)

 

Their semi-final match was against IVC, the provincial team of Prince Edward Island. The girls played hard but IVC beat us to the punch with some strong right-side attacks. The second set, the girls needed to leave it all on the court. After having been down 13-20 in the second set, the girls were able to rally to come back to 21-22. However, IVC had a more consistent game and eventually defeated BYVC, 25-22. This ended the tournament for the team.

Results: L vs. IVC: 0-2 (19-25, 22-25).

 

The coaching staff is proud of the tenacity of the team, to be able to overcome and rally to not go down without a fight. To the athletes who are graduating and moving on, thank you for choosing to play your last season with the Brant Tornadoes. It was a pleasure to have coached and have gotten to know such a group of talented young athletes like no other.

The team finished the tournament tied for 3rd in Division 3, Tier 2. They improved their initial seeding from 15/32 to 11/32 in the division and from 79/152 to 75/152 in Canada. With this result, the team finished in the top half of the country.

Senior Recreational House League – 7 Spots Open…

BYVC still has 7 spots open again for SR Rec HL. This program builds on skills developed in Spikes in a game play environment on the Beach courts.

Guidelines:  

When: starting Wednesday, July 5th through to August 9th from 7:15pm – 8:15pm.

Eligible: Ages 14-15 and 16 year old girls.

Format: 4 vs. 4 format.

Location: Green lane Sports Complex in Paris: 8 Green Ln, Paris, ON N3L 3E1 

Payment: etransfer admin@byvc.ca $125.00 to secure your spot…include Childs name in the memo field.  

Click here to register: https://go.teamsnap.com/forms/363519

BYVC Awards Banquet 2022-23 Indoor Season

The Brant Youth Volleyball Cub recently celebrated the end of their 25th indoor season in style with a banquet at the Polish Community Centre on Albion St.  Over 200 athletes, family and guests enjoyed a catered meal which was followed by guest speakers and awards.

Guest speakers this year were Jonny and Danny Pickett from Wiarton, Ontario.  Both are members of the men’s varsity team at the University of Guelph and operate 8×8 Beach Apparel.  Jonny is also a gold medal winning beach athlete at the 2022 Canada Games, has represented Canada internationally on the beach and is both an OUA and CIS indoor all-star.  They gave an inspiring and informative talk on how athletes from “small-town Ontario” can achieve their dreams and play at a high level.

Afterwards, presentations of awards commenced with the following athletes recognized for their performance this past season by being awarded the OVA Award of Excellence:

4v4 – Mya McGowan, Emmy Ellis
6v6 – Alexis Teet
TLS Synergy – Claudia Chudyk
TLS Vortex – Maryn Partridge
15 Select – Savannah Earle
15U – Victoria Chan
16U – Leah Richardson
17U – Lizzie Woodhouse
18U – Quinn McLeod

In addition, the following team awards were presented:

4v4 – Bridget Davies, Heart Award; Ada Rosebrugh, Hustle Award
6v6 – Alaina Fazari, Heart & Hustle Award; Megan Reeder, A.C.E. Award
TLS Synergy – Jordyn Andree, Coaches’ Award; Meara Vezsenyi, Heart & Hustle Award
TLS Vortex – Kiah Elmy, Coaches’ Award, Jenna Ugwu, Most Improved Award
15U – Callie Butler, Commitment & Heart Award; Amy MacMillan, Most Improved Award
15 Select – Olivia Walker, Heart & Hustle Award
16U – Alexis Ebert, MVP; Daniella Powell, Most Improved Award
17U – Scarlette Roney, Heart & Hustle Award; Kimberlee Nicholson, MVP Award
18U – Athena Hedley, MVP; Sarah Lawlor, MVP

Here’s a picture of all winners…


In addition, BYVC honored certain athletes with Major Awards…

Firstly, the Career Commitment Awards – presented to graduating players with minimum 5 years of playing with BYVC. From top-left going clockwise – Casey Logan (5 years), Anna Carter (7 years), Lucia Ausman (7 years), Athena Hedley (8 years).


And finally, BYVC presented Service Scholarships – given to graduating players who have made a significant contribution to BYVC by volunteering their time and assisting with other teams or developmental programs – From left to right…Athena Hedley, Anna Carter, Lucia Ausman.


Check out pictures from the event…

Provincial Championships Recap: 17U Girls

“I have always known that this team had great potential and that it would only be achieved if they played as a team. So, it has been very rewarding to see them play as a unit, have each other’s backs, and to have seen all their hard work pay off at Provincials.” – Coach Andrew

On Day 1 of the tournament, the Tornadoes saw a slow start at the Provincial Championships tournament. Although not the results that they would have liked, the team did not go down without a fight as reflected in the very tight scores from their matches on the first day.

L vs PVC Flares: 22-25, 21-25

L vs Peel Selects Black: 21-25, 28-26, 16-18

L vs Wildcats Jaguars: 20-25, 13-25

With this match record, the team finished 4th in their pool and were reseeded into a pool of 5, meaning they had a long day ahead of them with 4 matches on Day 2.

On Day 2, the Tornadoes arrived determined to play their game, at their highest potential. Looking like a new team, the 17U squad came to ready to play and were able to take of business; they played like a team with a well-rounded game consisting of strong serving from Scarlette and Grace, determined defence from Katie, and the hard-hitting from Kelsea and Kimberlee. Despite having two play 4 matches that day, two of which were back-to-back, the team was able to rally finishing first in their Power Pool with a 4-0 match record and a 8-1 set record. This situated the team in Tier 1 of the =ir Division as they moved into Day 3 of the tournament.

Day 2 Match Results:

W vs EVP Merrigan: 25-8, 25-14

W vs Titans Energy: 14-25, 25-17, 15-11

W vs Pumas: 25-15, 25-20

W vs Ottawa Valley Vikings Fury: 25-17, 25-19

On Day 3, the team was on court ready to go at 8:40 AM playing against Niagara Rapids Ignite. This was a team that the 17U squad team had seen and played during the regular season, so they knew that the other team was not going to go down without a fight; during the 17U McGregor Cup, Brant Tornadoes defeated Niagara Rapids Ignite (25-20, 19-25, 15-10).

The Tornadoes started strong and played a good defensive game resulting in them taking the first set (25-23). Their opponents came out strong in the 2nd set and played an efficient offensive game eventually beating the Tornadoes (21-25). Going into Set 3, the Tornadoes fought back, but it was Rapids squad that came out victorious and who advanced in the tournament after defeating the Tornadoes (5-15).

L vs Niagara Rapids: 25-23, 21-25, 5-15

Although not the way that the team would have liked to finish the tournament, the team had a great tournament and played with an unmatched intensity. Coach Andrew and the Coaching Staff are very happy with their performance over the long 3-day tournament and the level of improvement since the beginning of the season. Way to go, girls!

Provincial Championships Recap: 18U Girls

Quote from Coach Andrew: “Not only did we see some of the best volleyball that we had seen all year from our competition, but we also played the best volleyball that we have played all year.”

Entering the tournament as the 19th seed in Division 2, situated in Tier 2, the 18U squad knew that they had the goal to improve their position and finishing in Tier 1 of the Division, where they belonged.

On Day 1 of the tournament, the Tornadoes were the highest seed in their pool and finished accordingly. The team had to dig deep to play these tough teams but eventually took care of business and finished first in their Pool with a match record of 3-0 and a set record of 6-2.

W vs PVC Flame (30): 25-23, 25-19

W vs Lakeside Upanga (27): 27-25, 25-27, 15-13

W vs Kingston Rock VC – Richard (22): 20-25, 25-21, 18-16

With this match record, the team moved up to a higher power pool destined for Tier 1.

On Day 2, the Tornadoes entered their pool as the lowest seed of the teams but this ranking did not distract the team from their goals. The team had a strong start in their first match against Niagara Rapids Vortex (10) and thanks to strong serving and a relentless defense, the team was able to take the match (25-22, 25-18). Their next match was against a strong team from Sudbury, Northern Chill Avalanche (11). After a back-and-forth, point-for-point first set that saw the Tornadoes coming up just short (27-29), the team kept their fighting spirit but lost to the strong serving of their opponents, eventually losing that set (14-25). Going into their last match, the team was determined to finish strong. The team were able to dig deep and played a very disciplined game and secured their 2nd place finish in the pool after defeating 41Six Red (18) in 2 straight sets (25-21, 25-19).

W vs Niagara Rapids Vortex (10): 25-22, 25-18

L vs Northern Chill Avalanche (11): 27-29, 14-25

W vs 41Six Red (18): 25-21, 25-19

With their 2-1 match record and 4-2 set record, the Tornadoes left their Power Pool in 2nd place, secured their spot in Tier 1, and were the 11th seed moving into Day 3.

On the final Day, the team had an early start at 7:30 AM playing against Smash Raiders Force (6). Knowing the other team was neither team was going to go down without a fight, the team started very strong and played a determined defensive game and took the first set (27-25). Their opponents came out strong in the 2nd set, matching our discipline and drive and eventually took the set (19-25). Going into Set 3, both teams left it all on the court, but it was the Smash Raiders that came out victorious and who advanced in the tournament after defeating the Brant squad (8-15).

Provincial Championships Recap: Whirlwind Takes Silver Medal!!!

Congratulations to Brant Whirlwind as they finished their season in Toronto, ON at the OVA Provincial Championships with a SILVER medal🥈 in Division 1, Tier 3 of the 4v4 tournament.

Way to go, Whirlwind! 🌪️

Provincial Championships Recap: Twister 6V6 Takes Silver Medal!!!

Congratulations to BYVC 6V6 Twister Team as they finished their season at the OVA Provincial Championships in Toronto with a SILVER medal in Division 3, Tier 1 of the 6v6 tournament.

Twister finished with an overall record of 7-3 but won the important games they needed to win on their way to a silver medal finish for the 28-team division 3.  Two days of pool play left them with a record of 4-2 which left them seeded #11 in Tier 1.  In pool play they lost to Durham Attack 25-21, 12-25, 13-25 and Leaside Dragons 17-25, 25-17, 6-15.  They beat Hamilton MVC 25-20, 25-17; Norfolk Chaos Climb 25-13, 25-9; 41Six Waves 16-25, 25-14, 15-3 and Durham Rebels Falcons 25-20, 25-22.  The Tornadoes opened playoff action with a 25-15, 25-23 victory over the North Bay Vision Shark to qualify for the quarter finals.  In their most complete game of the tournament, they knocked off the #1 seeded Durham Rebels Renegades 20-25, 25-16, 15-10.  In the semi finals they avenged their opening round loss vs Durham Attack with scores of 25-14, 25-20.  In the gold medal game they fell to the York Thundercats 20-25, 19-25.  

Overall this year, Twister improved their standing every tournament!!! Their first tournament of the year found them “non-ranking”, their second tournament saw them finish in 5th, in their third tournament they finished 4th, in their fourth tournament they finished third, and finally in Provincials they finished second.  If there was one more tournament…!!!

Way to go, Twister!!! 🌪️

BYVC Year-End Banquet to Host Guest Speakers!!!

As the 2022-23 season is quickly coming to a close, Brant Youth Volleyball is finalizing plans for our year-end banquet. This year, the banquet, open to BYVC athletes, coaches and family, will be at the Polish Hall, 154 Pearl St, Brantford, ON on Monday, May 8th.

 

This year, we are excited to share that we’ll have some special guest speakers…Jonny and Danny Pickett!!!

 

Pictured Left to Right: Jonny Pickett, Danny Pickett.

 

Jonny has represented Canada on the beach for U21 in Thailand, represented Canada at FISU university games in Brazil, won the Calgary Open, bronzed at the Vancouver Open and won a Canada Games gold representing Ontario last summer.  He has also represented Canada on the indoor court as part of the Junior National team, competing in Slovenia and Bulgaria.

 

Danny has been part of Team Ontario Beach, red shirted with the Windsor Lancers and is now a starting libero for the Guelph Gryphons.  He is a setter who has been adopted as a libero, finishing his rookie year with the 9th most digs per set in the OUA.  He has plans to continue his volleyball journey while studying Justice and Legal Studies at the University of Guelph.

 

Both are proud members of the University of Guelph Gryphons and proof that good players come from small and big towns alike, and you can succeed at the highest levels whatever team you play for or where you come from.

 

They will share some insights about life in elite sport, overcoming challenges, setting goals, being a Student Athlete and how they continue to pursue their goals of playing at the highest levels.
 
 

For further information please contact info@byvc.ca.

Competitive Beach Volleyball Program – Registration is Open!!!

BYVC is excited to open up registration for the competitive season. Registration this year will be a two-step process:

Step 1 – Will be to sign up for our evaluation day. This will be in early May – Date and Time TBA.

Please use this link for registration and we will follow up with an email in a few weeks with the details for the tryout.

https://go.teamsnap.com/forms/366564

NOTE: Space in our comp program is limited.  Not everyone may get a spot.  We want to ensure that people enrolled in comp have appropriate skills for their age group and that players are appropriately partnered up.  

Step 2 – After evaluation day, we will send a registration link for the comp program.

For more information, please use our contact form or send an email to info@byvc.ca.

Volleyball for Life!!!

Just because you’ve moved on from competitive youth volleyball and on to the post-secondary adventure doesn’t mean you stop loving and playing the game!!!

For four of our BYVC alumni, they’ve gone on to the University of Guelph and joined others from clubs around Ontario to play as a team in the Ladies Intramural Volleyball League.

This past weekend the team competed in the finals and took first-place! Congrats to Jordan Webb, Abby McNamara, Grace Segato, and Maddy ONeill!!!

Volleyball for Life!!!

Brantford Sport Council, Sports Recognition Finalists and Winners for BYVC!!!

The Brantford Sports Council held its 17th annual awards and recognition celebration on Saturday at the Sanderson Centre, handing out awards to winners.

Founders Rick and Sandy Beedham were recognized by winning the George Jones Memorial Award – Lifetime Sports Volunteerism for their tireless dedication, passion, hard work and commitment to their sport community for over 25 years!!! 

Rick and Sandy founded the Brant Youth Volleyball Club to give youth volleyball players in the Brantford-Brant community the opportunity to play and love the game. We are very fortunate that even today, 25 years later, we are continuing to see their direct and indirect impact on the greater volleyball community.

Congratulations to you both!!! Well-deserved recognition for everything that you have done and continue to do for our club and community.!!!

Also, congratulations to our Tina Hedley for being a finalist for The George Churchill Memorial Award. This award is given to an individual who has demonstrated commitment to volunteering for our athletes. Tina, our Club Administrator, is meticulous, conscientious, and unwavering in her support of the club and all its programs. While Tina was not a winner this year, she’s still a winner in our eyes!!!

Co-Ed Developmental Beach Volleyball Programs are Open for Registration!!!

BYVC is pleased to announce the 2023 Co-ed Developmental Programs are now open for registration!!! Click HERE to see additional information. Registration is first-come, first-served. There are participant limits so sign up early!!

All sessions will be at Green Lane Park in Paris on Wednesday nights and run for 6 weeks. There will be 2 waves – Wave 1 will be from May 17 to June 21.  Wave 2 – from July 5 to Aug 9. Each wave will have 2 sessions – early from 6:00 to 7:00, late from 7:15 to 8:15.

Programs available:

Wave 1 Early – Parent Child. Cost will be $105. Click HERE to register for Parent Child

Wave 1 Late – Spikes. Cost will be $115. Currently full, Click HERE for the waitlist form.

Wave 2 Early – Junior Rec House League. Cost will be $120. Currently full, Click HERE for the waitlist form.

Wave 2 Late – Senior Rec House League. Cost will be $125. Click HERE for Senior HL.

Brant Tornadoes – 17U Girls – Bugarski Cup

On Saturday, March 4th, the 17U Tornadoes had their final event of the regular season at the Bugarski Cup – Trillium in Simcoe.

The Tornadoes battled hard and showed hustle throughout the day to secure their 5th place finish. There were big contributions all around that kept the team competitive all day. Offensively, there was strong serving from Emily, and big swings from Kimberlee, Scarlette, and Kyleeya. Defensively, Lizzy and Katie took control in the back row. All around, Coach Andrew was happy to see a fighting and persevering spirit from the team today from the first match all the way to their last.

Game Results:

Pool Play
L vs Simcoe Xtreme Thunder (21-25, 25-20, 12-15)
L vs LVC Flare (17-25, 11-25)

Playoffs
W vs Simcoe Xtreme Avalanche (18-25, 25-23, 15-13)
L vs Chatham Ballhawks (20-25, 11-25)
W vs Simcoe Xtreme Thunder (25-19, 25-19)

Players of the tournament: Lizzy Woodhouse, Scarlette Roney, Katie Slater. Honorable mention for their efforts today: Kyleeya Johnson and Emily Hall

Brant Tornadoes – 6V6 – Bugarski Cup, Bronze Medal!!!

The BYVC 6v6 team capped off their regular season series of tournaments with a bronze medal finish at the OVA’s Bugarski Cup Trillium tournament in London.  The team showed their determination and desire by winning games when it mattered the most.  Three out of five matches for the day went to tiebreakers and each time they buckled down and prevailed in a tight score.

In pool play they defeated London VC Fire 25-18, 14-25, 15-12 and lost to the #2 seeded St Thomas Express 18-25, 19-25.  This set them up for a quarter-final match up with the #4 seeded London Forest City Maples.  After dropping the first set 14-25, they rebounded to win the next two sets 25-14, 17-15 to advance to the semi-final.

A 22-25, 22-25 loss to the top seeded Guelph Jr Gryphons sent them to the bronze medal match where they would meet the Stratford Stingers.  The bronze medal match was a re-match from their last tournament which Stratford had won in 2 straight.  After dropping the first set, 18-25, the Tornadoes regrouped to win the next two sets 25-18, 18-16 and capture the bronze medal.

The team looks forward to continuing to work hard in practice and taking their positive attitudes to Provincials at the end of April.

Team members in picture below:

Front row (left to right) Alaina Fazari, Macey Matthews, Grace McDougall, Sienna Liu
Back row (left to right) Coach Maddy Eelkema, Emma Reynolds, Emma Marie Bocas Laurence, Megan Reeder, Alexis Teet, Ema Naveas, Coach Rick Beedham

Brant Tornadoes TLS Vortex – Bugarski Cup

On February 25th, at the TLS Bugarski Cup – Championship B in Georgetown, Brant TLS Vortex started the tournament strong, resulting in a first-place finish in their Pool.

The afternoon looked different with the Tornadoes dissipating with energy leaving the day with a 9th-place finish.

Game Results:

Pool Play:
W vs. Lakeside Billao (25-27, 25-23, 15-9)
W vs. Georgetown Impact Invasion (25-7, 25-22)

Results from playoff rounds not submitted.

Brant Tornadoes 18U Girls – Furlani Cup – Championship Division

This past weekend, the 18U Brant Tornadoes made their way to the Niagara Falls Convention Centre for the 18U Furlani Cup – Championship Division.

After finishing 2nd in their pool, the girls started their playoff run with a 2-set loss to Twin Bridges ThunderStruck in the quarterfinals before finishing the day in 5th with a victory against Chatham Ballhawks Glide. Their fifth place finish will keep the girls in the Championship division for the Bugarski Cup, their last regular season tournament.

Until then, coaches hope that the team will rise to the challenge together and will continue to put in the hard work required to compete and achieve their highest potential.

Game record:

Pool Play:
W vs Chatham Ballhawks Glide (25-21, 24-26, 15-9)
L vs. Scorpions Telsons (19-25, 22-25)

Playoffs:
L vs. Twin Bridges ThunderStruck (11-25, 21-25)
W vs. Chatham Ballhawks Glide (25-7, 25-18)

Players of the tournament: Athena Hedley, Anna Carter, Sarah Lawlor.

Brant Tornadoes TLS Synergy – Bugarski Cup, 4th Place Finish

The 14u Synergy team completed the regular season portion of their schedule on a high note by capturing a fourth-place finish at the Championship level of the Bugarski Cup held in Kitchener. 

Starting the season in the Trillium Division, they earned a promotion to this Championship level tournament with a second-place finish in their previous event.

 
They started the day seeded ninth out of nine teams in a pool with #3 seed Chatham Ball Hawks and #4 seed St Thomas Express Rockets.   The seeding held true for pool play as Synergy dropped two straight to Chatham 15-25, 18-25 and ended up on the short end of a 10-25, 25-15, 3-15 decision versus St Thomas.
Things took a turn for the better in playoffs.  Synergy used scrappy defense, aggressive serving, some timely hits and a couple of key blocks to win their first two matches of the playoffs.  They opened with a straight set win vs KW Predators Apex 25-22, 25-11. 

Next up was a match vs KW Predators Valkyries who had upset the tournament’s #1 seeded Niagara Rapids Torrents in pool play to grab the top place in Pool A.  Undeterred by their opponent’s lofty seeding, Synergy earned a spot in the medal round by winning 25-23, 10-25, 15-7. 

Those two wins would be their last of the day as they dropped a semi-final match versus Essex South County Bandits 11-25, 18-25.  Their day ended with a 19-25, 20-25 loss to Niagara Rapids Torrents in the bronze medal match.

 
 

Athletic Association of Brant, Haldimand & Norfolk Counties (AABHN) Finals

Brant Tornadoes were well represented Thursday night in the Athletic Association of Brant, Haldimand & Norfolk Counties (AABHN) Finals. The match saw Pauline Johnson CVS face off against St. John’s College but ultimately it was the undefeated St. John’s Eagles who took the title.

Congratulations to both teams and to our BYVC athletes: from PJCVS – Lizzy (17U) and Kelsea (17U). For SJC (pictured from L to R), Lucia, Sarah, Anna, and Quinn who are all from our 18U Tornadoes.

Best of luck to both PJCVS and SJC squads as they move on to represent their schools at CWOSSA in the AA and AAA divisions, respectively.

Brant Tornadoes TLS Vortex – Exhibition Game

After their last tournament and gold medal finish at the TLS McGregor Cup – Trillium Division, Brant VORTEX is currently ranked #55 of 166 teams in TLS standings.

On Sunday, the team participated in an Invitational Exhibition Tournament in London. The team split every game against teams are currently ranked higher than them. The respective rankings and scores of the tournament are listed below:

Game 1 vs FCVC Evergreen (#33) 12-25, 25-23

Game 2 vs Chatham Ballhawks Fly (#48) 18-25, 25-19

Game 3 vs St Thomas Express Rockets (#51) 25-27, 25-19

Game 4 vs FCVC Banyan (#45) 25-21, 23-25

Coach Zandra reflects on her team’s performance: “VORTEX is progressing nicely through the season, we are working hard and improving every step of the way. Well done girls 👏”

Brant Tornadoes 17U Girls – McGregor Cup

The 17U Tornadoes competed in the OVA McGregor Cup, Trillium division on Sunday Feb. 5th in Simcoe.

High energy and strong serving led to a first place finish in their pool over Niagara Rapids (St. Catherine’s) and Jr. Gryphons (Guelph) but after a long lunch break, the team had a slow start in their quarterfinal dropping to Xtreme (Simcoe).

In their game for 5th/7th, the team dropped their last two sets to the Vipers (Grimsby).

Although it was not the results that the team would have liked, we are happy to see the huge progress and skill development since the beginning of the season. The team is looking forward to working hard to have a strong showing at our next tournament, the Bugarski Cup.

Results:
W vs Jr. Gryphons (25-13, 25-17)

W vs Niagara Rapids Ignite (25-20, 19-25, 15-10)

L vs Simcoe Xtreme (15-25, 20-25)

L vs Grimsby Vipers (25-13, 25-18)

Players of the Tournament: Kelsea Peckham, Lizzy Woodhouse, Kimberlee Nicholson

Brant Tornadoes – 4V4 – McGregor Cup

Our 4v4 teams travelled to Milton to compete in the McGregor Cup on January 28, 2023. Both teams saw success with Whirlwind winning 8/12 sets and Tsunami winning 4/12. Both teams had lots of close sets and Tsunami even had a game go to 29-31.

For Whirlwind, Bridget did a great job of digging up the balls and leading cheers on the court. Ella was a force at the tip with excellent setter dumps and leading cheers. Riley did an awesome job serving deep scoring lots of ACEs. Avery’s overhand serve was hard for teams to pass up and scored lots of points. VasiLisa did a great job keeping her hands up at the net and blocking balls. Marlo developed her overhand serve for this tournament and saw lots of success.

For Tsunami, Ada had great defence and was an excellent server. Emmy was a great setter and had a great attitude all day. Sloane was a strong hitter and had good defence on the net. Violette had good serves and cheered her team on all day. Bella was a very strong passer and went from passing free balls over the net to hitting balls for strong offence. Mya’s passes were very consistent and she was a force to be reckoned with at the net.

We look forward to seeing what else these girls can do at their next tournament!

Brant Tornadoes – 6V6 – McGregor Cup

The 6v6 team competed in the OVA McGregor Cup, Trillium division on Saturday Feb 3.  They improved on their performance from the previous tournament by reaching the medal round and finishing fourth.  Using team enthusiasm and new defensive and offensive schemes they powered to a first-place finish in their pool and won their quarter final to put themselves into the medal round.
 
Pool play:
W vs Oakville Defensa Purple 25-12, 22-25, 15-9, W vs Stratford Stingers Attack – 25-14, 25-20
 
Playoffs:
W vs Norfolk Chaos Climb 15-25, 25-20, 15-7, L vs Stratford Stingers Wasp 11-25, 14-25, L vs Niagara Rapids Storm 21-25, 15-25
 
The team looks forward to improving their defense and being more consistent on offense at their next event.

Brant Tornadoes 6V6 – Challenge Cup

The 6v6 girls team loaded up their vehicles and followed the 401 westbound as far as you can to the city of Windsor for their second tournament of the season.  They ended up in a really competitive pool that produced the gold and silver medalists.  The Tornadoes fought their way to a 5th place finish out of 9 teams.

Pool play opened against the Essex South County Bandits Teal team (eventual gold medal winners). We managed scores of 21-25 and 19-25.  The 40 total points we scored were the most they allowed all day.  Second pool play game was against the Chatham Ballhawks 31 team – scores were 25-18, 16-25, 10-15

After losing the opening playoff game vs Essex South County Bandits Black 3 team via scores of 22-25, 15-25, the Tornadoes finished the day on a positive by winning their last two matches.  They defeated Sarnia Twin Bridges Thunder 25-14 and 25-18 and defeated Essex South County Bandits Black 2 team 25-16, 25-21.

The team successfully worked at consistently using 3 touches to generate quality attacks.  We also served really well with only a few misses.  Our team defense improved as the day went on.   The team and coaching staff are looking forward to their next opportunity to show their quickly improving individual and team skills.

Brant Tornadoes 4V4 Girls – Provincial Cup

Our two 4v4 teams, Tsunami and Whirlwind competed on Sunday at Paris District High School in their second tournament of the year. Since the tournament was local our cheering section was louder than ever and lots of spectators got to come out that wouldn’t normally be able to make it. The players had a lot of fun showing what they have learned these past 3 months.

For Tsunami: Riley played amazing at the net had some great tips. Avery’s overhand serves showed great power and precision. Ella had some amazing passes with excellent serve receives. Emmy was strong and consistent all around. Mya’s serves and passing were consistent we missed her in the morning! Violette surpassed her goal for service over the net showing great improvement from last tournament.

For Whirlwind: Bridget did a great job getting under the ball to set and passing up to the setter. Ada had some rockets with her overhand serve and did a great job digging up balls. Bella was consistent all around and won a blocking joust at the net. Sloane’s deep serve scored a lot of points. Marlo did a great job passing up the freeball so the team could get 3 touches.

Brant Tornadoes 6V6 Girls – Provincial Cup

The 6v6 team from BYVC kicked off their competitive season on November 20th, at Holy Trinity Catholic High School in Simcoe, by finishing 3rd out of 10 teams at the OVA Provincial Cup tournament with an overall record of 6 wins and 3 losses.
For 9 of the teams’ 10 girls this was their first competitive OVA experience, and they represented the club well.  Each player had at least one sparkling moment and the team consistently tried to use 3 touches in their rallies.
They had numerous “gold star” plays – a pass, set and kill the first time the ball crossed over the net to them.
Game scores:
W vs Norfolk Chaos Climb 25-22, 25-17
W vs Hamilton MVC Athabasca 25-11, 13-25, 15-13
W vs Norfolk Chaos Blast 25-22, 25-22
L vs Grimsby Vipers 5-25, 11-25

Brant Tornadoes U17 Girls – Provincial Cup

On November 19, 2022, the 17U Tornadoes competed in the Trillium Division at their Provincial Cup in Windsor, ON.

Pool Play:

Their first match of the day was against Rose City United White (Windsor). The Tornadoes won both games of their first match (25-18, 25-11).

Their next match was against LVC Flare (London). A close match saw the Tornadoes split this match 1-1 (23-25. 25-18).

The last pool play match was against a tough LS Hammerhead Shark Frenzy (London). This match also ended in a split (25-21, 10-25).

With a set record of 4-2, the 17U Tornadoes finished 2nd in their pool.

Playoffs:

In the playoff round, the 17U Tornadoes had a slow start after lunch against South County Bandits Select (Essex County). The 17U Tornadoes lost to the tournament hosts (18-25, 15-25).

Rebounding after their playoff loss, the 17U Tornadoes played again against Rose City United White (Windsor) with a 2-set win (25-15, 25-21).

The team then played against LVC Flare (London) losing in a tough 3-setter (21-25, 25-13, 8-15). The 18U Tornadoes finished 6th in the tournament and will remain in the Trillium Division for their next tournament, the 17U Challenge Cup (Dec. 18, 2022).

Players of the Tournament: Angelina Bobby, Taya Melanson, Lizzy Woodhouse.

Brant Tornadoes U18 Girls – Provincial Cup

On November 12, 2022, the 18U Tornadoes competed in the Championship Division at their Provincial Cup in Thorold, ON.

Pool Play:

Their first match of the day was against EVP Bodanis (Oakville). The Tornadoes won their first match in a 3-set victory (25-17, 12-25, 15-9).

Their next match was against the #1 seeded FCVC Methuselah (London). It was a close match which ended in a 0-2 Loss for the team (20-25, 10-25).

With this record, the 18U Tornadoes finished 2nd in their pool.

Playoffs:

In the playoff round, the 18U Tornadoes had a strong start against FCVC Magnolia (London) but lost 0-2 (25-27, 7-25).

Rebounding after their playoff loss, the 18U Tornadoes played against Scorpions Telsons (Cambridge) finishing their day off with a 2-set win (25-19, 25-16). The 18U Tornadoes finished 5th in the tournament and will remain in Championship for their next tournament, the 18U Challenge Cup (Dec. 3, 2022).

Players of the Tournament: Quinn McLeod, Emily Hall, and Athena Hedley.

Brant Tornadoes Whirlwind and Tsunami 4X4 – Provincial Cup

4v4 volleyball is for our youngest competitive players.

They are a team of 12 that breaks into 2 teams of 6 for tournaments. This weekend the 2 teams competed in Smithville as Whirlwind (blue jerseys) and Tsunami (orange jerseys).

Both teams showed off what they have learned in practices and saw success on the court. It was a jam-packed day as there was 7 teams present and both Whirlwind and Tsunami played 5 games each.

Whirlwind won 7/15 sets and Tsunami won 3/15. Both teams had lots of very close sets, Tsunami had 4 sets that went above 15 due to the win by 2 rule.

We look forward to seeing what else these girls can do at their next tournament!

Brant Tornadoes Synergy 14U Girls – Provincial Cup

Congrats to the Tornadoes Synergy 14U Team who finished with a 2-2 record in their first-ever tournament on Saturday, Nov. 5th, in Windsor! Great work and improvement seen by the whole team!!

Game Results:

L   1-2 vs. Oakville EVP Eagles
W  2-1 vs. South County Bandits Black 3
W  2-0 vs. St. Thomas Express Spikes
L   2-0 vs. South County Bandits Black 4

Next tournament will the Challenge Cup, December 17th!!