Flyers win battle of unbeaten teams

City bragging rights were on the line when the Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs and visiting Eden Flyers senior girls volleyball teams met Tuesday in the final game of the regular season.

Both squads were a perfect 6-0 in Niagara Region High School Athletic Association play and since Churchill plays at the AA level and Eden is a AAA school, it would be the only chance for the teams to determine which squad is the best of the best in Zone 4 action.

Last season, Churchill won a bronze medal at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations AA championships but it graduated a number of key players.

That showed Tuesday as the Bulldogs rallied from an early 8-2 deficit to win the first set 25-22 but couldn’t maintain the momentum.

The Flyers won the second game 25-18 and were leading the third game 9-4 when Churchill head coach Brent Mergl called a timeout.

“It looks like the wheels are flying off the bus,” he told his team and he wasn’t wrong.

Eden won the third game 25-16 and then won the match 3-1 by winning the fourth game 25-22.

“It has kind of been an up and down season,” Mergl said. “We have had a lot of injuries this year, some illnesses and some things that you don’t see any other year. We lost a lot off of last year’s team in passing and leadership so we been struggling at being able to pass the ball on a consistent basis.”

None of the club players on the team receive serve.

“It has been a glaring weakness,” he said. “We have been playing well at times in matches and then we will fall apart for five, six or seven points in a row.”

Eden head coach Bill Markham was thrilled with how his team performed.

“This is my last game coaching in this gym and I was really proud of their effort. We came out a little slow and forgot Eden volleyball but once they reclaimed that it was a really good performance.”

He likes how his team is trending with Zone 4 and Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association playdowns looming.

“The keys for us is sometimes we get sucked into playing another system or style which is not us. We have to be really solid defensively and put pressure on the other side. When they do that, you saw the result. It was great.”

SENIORS NIGHT

Prior to Tuesday’s match, the Bulldogs honoured graduating seniors Aiyauna Bredin, Gabrielle Bright Bufong, Josie Hoadley, Mya Pupek, Kate Smyth and Charlotte Ross.

Ross described the ceremony as amazing.

“Amy Pupek did a lot to put this together for us and it was an amazing experience to have the school come together and the band too,” she said. “The flowers were so sweet and it was great to have that sense of community.”

The Grade 12 student finds it hard to believe her high school volleyball career is coming to an end.

“Oh my goodness. I remember in Grade 10 playing up on the senior team with all these big girls and I was so scared. We were playing Eden and it was a tough game we lost but the experience was so cool.”

The 6-foot-2 middle will be continuing her volleyball career with the Brock Badgers and she’s excited for the next part of her athletic journey.

“I love Steve (head coach Delaney), I love the girls on the team and it’s great to stay home in St. Catharines. I get to be with my family.”

The deciding factor was the energy she felt from the team.

Mergl is confident Ross will have an excellent career at Brock.

“Her work ethic is amazing and she is very coachable.”

He will miss her.

“Charlotte from Grade 10 until now has really improved her abilities. She is a dominant middle, she loves to hit the ball and I have been working with her to say that she can’t just throw fastballs all the time. You have to throw a few changeups and catch them on deep balls. They are sitting waiting for that hit and they are all over you and she has really listened. You saw her at the end make a few little tip shots to catch the defence off guard. She is passing the ball which she never does in club and credit to her. She’s dedicated and she wants the ball in pressure situations.”

The Smash Raiders (Hamilton) club player is going to work hard to get ready for her freshman year of university ball.

“It is putting the work in off the court and on the court,” the 17-year-old said. “It’s working in the weight room, journalling, taking care of my body, learning how to eat properly, becoming a well-rounded athlete as well as doing well in school because I am a student-athlete.”

She is will be majoring in child and youth studies at Brock.