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Northern Chill ladies show potential in Welland

The competitiveness of the field in the Ontario Volleyball Association U17 girls grouping was evident right out of the gate as the Northern Chill ladies recently opened their 2013-2014 season.
The competitiveness of the field in the Ontario Volleyball Association U17 girls grouping was evident right out of the gate as the Northern Chill ladies recently opened their 2013-2014 season.

Competing in a Provincial Cup — Trillium Tournament in Welland, the Chill finished seventh in a field of 11 teams. That said, the local crew battled through three very tough sets against the eventual gold-medal winning team, providing a glimpse of the upside potential the U17 Chill possesses.

Sudbury opened play somewhat slowly, surprised 18-25, 19-25 by the Oakville U16 Thunder, but bounced right back with a straight set win over the Georgian Cubs (25-12, 25-15) from Barrie.

Finishing second in their pool, the Chill outlasted the Toronto Diamonds 25-27, 25-23, 15-13 in a pre-quarter-final encounter, moving on to the final eight. The locals proceeded to give the York Spartans everything they could handle, falling 23-25, 25-20, 15-17, with the Spartans moving on to eventually claim the championship hardware.

Despite a closing 20-25, 22-25 setback at the hands of the Niagara Rapids in their fifth/seventh matchup, Chill coach Craig Thomson took plenty of positives from a full day of action.

"The middle three games were really good for us and the team," Thomson said. "We learned much about the team and the individuals that should help us as we go through the season.

"We definitely showed that we can play with the big teams."

The 2013-2014 edition of the Northern Chill U17 girls team features a roster that includes Kayla Wandziak, Julia Lamarche, Shayna Graham, Megan Labrash, Kaitlyn Gillis-McAnulty, Hanna Bird, Hannah Malinski, Natalee Parisotto, Kathryn Webb, Alana Dugdale and Amanda Rigg, as well as coaches Craig Thomson and Amy Cliff.

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