Seventh heaven for Cyclone
The E.L. Crossley Cyclone wrapped up an undefeated season with a Niagara Region High School Athletic Association Zone 3 senior girls AA volleyball championship Thursday.
The Cyclone topped the Centennial Cougars 25-19, 26-24, 26-24 to run their record to a perfect 7-0 in the abridged campaign.
“It was a close game,” Crossley coach Michelle Gibson said. “Centennial did a really good job of keeping the ball up and returning it constantly. They were a team that didn’t give up, that’s for sure.”
The Cyclone captured the championship before an enthusiastic crowd on their home court.
“I think tonight was really unique for us because we actually had fans in the gym which we haven’t had for a long time and you could just feel the energy,” Gibson said. “We felt like they were our seventh player on the court.
“They were so supportive and so loud. It’s been a really long time since I’ve been in the gym and had that experience so tonight was really neat and we were really grateful to have some great fans show up.”
The win wraps up the season for the Cyclone after both the Southern Ontario Secondary School Association (SOSSA) and Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) championships were cancelled due to the pandemic.
“It was nice we had a season for sure,” said Gibson, who is assisted by Maria DiSanto. “At the same time, it was disappointing for these girls who had no opportunity for a SOSSA or an OFSAA.
“At the end of the day, when it comes down to what’s really important through sports, being good teammates, showing perseverance and having fun, all those values are way more important so we were just happy to play.”
Gibson marvelled at the commitment shown by her players through difficult circumstances, including a lengthy shutdown in January and the uncertainty if the schedule would even resume.
“Surprisingly, the girls were really committed to it the entire time,” she said. “It was amazing. It was a start-stop season but every time we started up again all the girls showed up and were completely committed to the season, which was really nice.
“It was so refreshing to walk into the gym after some of our shutdowns and all the girls would be there, the net would be up, and they would be ready to go.”
Members of the team are: Mackenna Belding, Kaitlyn Brophy, Grace Brownlee, Emily Burns, Lauren Cudmore, Alissa Doan, Camryn Furlong, Kennedy Hall, Grace Kleiboer, Alaina Larochelle, Jocelyn Mercuri, Jenna Mergl, Madelynn Neuman and Olivia Van Vliet.
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