A Silver for the 17U Fire and Fury
I just wanted to once again congratulate all of you on achieving our goal of going home with a medal and ensuring ourselves of moving up for the next tournament.
Players, I can't tell you how pleased I am for you! Even though we didn't end with the Gold....your Silver, is a testament to your perseverance and a strong will. Every player earned that medal yesterday - it was truly a 'team win'. You did not allow the split against Thunder to deter you from your goal for the day. Finishing first in the pool was a just reward for your work on-court. The Playoff round was a tough assignment because we really did not meet too much resistance until the Gold medal game but playing through the stress of facing another Blaze team in the semi's, spoke volumes about your growth as players. Even in the Gold medal game, you demonstrated that strong will by battling back twice after giving up early leads. Give the "Aces" their due; they won the big game on this day but I truly believe that we will be wearing Gold very soon.
I just want to acknowledge a few performances today: Setters, you were both very consistent throughout the day with your decision making & were strong on attack too. Alex & Sommer, great work on offence - let's continue to develop as strong defenders. Megan and Christine, you both must be exhausted! Great work at the net and on the service line all day. Lauren, you have the toughest job of all - coming off the bench to instill energy into the team is a special skill - thank you for that. Cherice and Andrea, your support from the bench is a needed ingredient and you deserve to share in our success. Maggie, a Libero has the spotlight on her point after point - we know that it is tough to be the 'best defender' on every point but you are growing into that position and the coaches support you fully!
Finally to Bob and Laura; thank you for your input and leadership throughout the day. Having 3 coaches on the bench is sometimes tough but we were consistent in our message and in the manner that we delivered it during time-outs and between matches.
This is the first of a series of stepping stones towards a medal at Tier 1 Provincials...let's keep working on the ascent!
I look forward to seeing the parents play the girls at the Blaze Holiday Festival - it is a fun way to finish the pre-holiday part of the season.
Andy