“The whole gym was cheering for us, because we were the underdogs.”
Rod Hebert, head coach of the U16 Rhinos black volleyball team, described the atmosphere of the team’s bronze medal win at provincials in Edmonton as amazing.
”They were happy that we (won) because we do have the talent. We were as good as them, and we showed it. We might not be six-feet-tall, but it’s not about how big you are, it’s how big you play,” he detailed.
Although the team fell to their Calgary opponents, the 403 Selects, in the semi-finals, the Rhinos were excited with the result of the May 4 to 5 tournament.
”It was a great feeling,” noted player Monique Ouellette, 15. “End (the season) off with a bang, and everyone’s happy. No one’s feeling down knowing that we reached one of our goals... to (win a) medal.”
Hebert added, “The last two tournaments, we lost to teams we should have beat, and this time, we beat a team that we weren’t expected to, but we definitely outplayed them.”
Coming from the Lakeland made the win that much sweeter for Ouellette.
”When we were playing against the big cities, like Calgary and Edmonton, they all have the tall people and we’re just from... little towns. It’s crazy how we could match up against some of them.”
Although the weekend started off a little rocky, Hebert said the girls were determined to come home with a win.
”They probably played some of the best volleyball they’ve ever played in their life,” he exclaimed. “To compete at that level, you need everybody rolling, because we’re playing against teams that have hundreds of kids try out for their clubs... We had a try out of 20 kids, and we picked 10 per team. It was pretty special, and it doesn’t happen very often.”
Throughout the tournament, Hebert was impressed with their ability to keep up. Even if they lost a set or two, they would bounce back in the third for a big win. In their last four matches, they “never let anybody beat them.”
Ouellette noticed the chemistry the team had on the court was strong, which resulted in them having a strong season overall.
”When we made mistakes, it was okay, and everyone kind of understood everyone,” she explained. “Everyone supported each other, especially since everyone has their bad days... and we just moved past it together and supported each other.”
Hebert agreed.
”Everybody got along very well. It’s probably one of the best teams I’ve ever coached, and I never had to get mad at them for effort in practice. It’s one of the hardest working teams I’ve ever had. They just trusted each other, believed in each other, and it was awesome.”
