Cyclone work overtime at OFSAA (updated)

The E.L. Crossley Cyclone senior boys volleyball team got its money’s worth on the championship side at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations AA championships in St. Catharines.

The 14th-seeded Cyclone completed pool play Friday with a 2-1 loss (25-27, 25-16 and 10-15) to ninth-seeded Samuel Genest and defeated 19th-seeded Hammarskjold 2-1 (25-20, 21-25 and 15-12) to finish pool play with a 2-2 record. All four of the Cyclone’s matches went to three sets.

“We were joking with the boys. We told them we think they want to play every set here and they are really looking to be in it tomorrow,” co-coach Jess Kropac said. “Their goal is the highest number of sets (played). If there is an award for the highest number of sets played, it’s going to be us which is great.”

Unfortunately for Crossley, its record did not advance it to the championship side of the bracket and they ended up in Friday’s consolation quarter-finals.

“It was a bit of a heartbreaker, I am not going to lie. We had a really good solid start to the first day and we were hopeful to go championship side but OFSAA is so fickle,” Kropac said. “You have to play almost perfect and unfortunately we had a few mistakes we weren’t able to correct and now the boys have new energy which is great.”

The Cyclone defeated Aldershot School 23-25, 25-11, 25-23, 25-18, 15-6 in the consolation quarter-final and now face Essex Saturday at 9 a.m. at Simcoe in the consolation semifinal.

Winning is not the driving force behind the team.

“It is a fine margin and OFSAA is really interesting. Michelle (Gibson) and I have been blessed to go multiple times (Gibson has gone seven times and Kropac six) and we understand that as much as you want to do as well as possible at OFSAA, it is about an experience and sometimes it’s about doing right and what is best for the team and kids,” she said. “We want to make sure everyone gets to see the court and has a great time with it. It’s tricky. There’s a lot of different things going on and a lot of different factors going into the decisions that are being made.”

Kropac and Gibson are on the same page when it comes to that philosophy.

“I think it is really important to build camaraderie. Before every game, we’ve talked about OFSAA is not about winning or losing but it is about the experience and sportsmanship. There’s lots of things that come out of here. A the end of the day there is only one team winning a gold medal but it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the experience along the way. We really try to build that team mentality. Everyone has a role, everyone is important to the team and everyone deserves each other’s respect.”

That being said, the Cyclone have enjoyed a lot of success on the volleyball court.

“We are very blessed with the boys. They are amazing. We always have athletes who are willing to work hard and this year especially we have a couple of amazing leaders and two really great volleyball players (Austin Wilson and Ian McQueen) who have really taken a bunch of athletes under their wing,” Kropac said. “It’s hard work and a lot of it is team dynamics. They really play for each other and not for themselves and that has gotten us far.”

She is a big fan of McQueen.

“Skill-wise, he is absolutely one of the best players on the court and I have never heard him make anything but positive comments to every single player. He is the first one if someone misses a serve to go in and pick them up and is the first one to congratulate someone on an amazing block or hit and he’s really selfless. He really wants to make the other boys better and is quick to give opportunities to the others too which is great.”

McQueen was taking the relegation to the consolation side in stride.

“It is what it is. We came to play volleyball and we played lots of volleyball. I am happy with how we played today because we really got it back together,” the Grade 12 student said. “We were really nervous in all the sets we lost and kind of got really tight. We were falling away from each other instead of coming together but we finished as a team and that is what got us the win today.”

The Niagara Rapids travel player enjoys playing under the Crossley philosophy.

“Even last night we were going around saying what we are grateful for and most of the things said were experiences we had as a team outside not even playing, such as going out and hanging out at team dinners. The team really enjoys that because we are all together and there is less stress on us.”

McQueen downplayed his role on the squad.

“If we were missing anybody there would be a big hole on the team.”

He is more than willing to share his knowledge.

“Everyone is always asking for tips and everyone just wants to improve.”

McQueen is hoping to play university volleyball at Guelph. Competing at the university level is something he has thought about for years.

“At the 2021 Canada Games, I volunteered as a ball boy to get my volunteer hours and it was the coolest environment I have ever been in. I knew I wanted to be like all those guys going to play post secondary. That is where it all started.”

Consolation semifinals will be played Saturday at 9 a.m. and the championship semifinals will start at 11. Games will be played at Governor Simcoe and Sir Winston Churchill.

Both medal matches and the consolation final will be contested at Churchill. The finals are scheduled to start at 1, 3 and 5 p.m.