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Mustangs senior volleyball team has a three-peat victory in Elliot Lake

M’CHIGEENG—The Manitoulin Secondary School (MSS) Mustangs senior girls’ volleyball team has won the Elliot Lake Secondary School Atoms Invitational tournament!

It marks three consecutive years a Mustangs team has won the title, but it certainly didn’t come easy, according to assistant coach Neil Debassige.

The annual invitational tournament is hosted by ELSS Atoms, “and brings in teams from Northern and Southern Ontario. There is always a good representation with teams from areas like Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, Timmins and all our NSSSA (North Shore Secondary School Association) league. The eight teams played a round-robin format, then based on points the teams were seeded into a two-pool system.”

“This year the coaches were saying they found the teams to be real even in terms of skill and competitiveness,” said Mr. Debassige. 

The Mustangs had gone into the tournament a little like a ‘wounded duck’ because they were missing two starting players including Mya Balfe who also plays for the Northern Chill team based out of Sudbury. “She is our teams ace in the hole,” said Mr. Debassige.

MSS was also missing Prestlynn Biederman who came down on her ankle in NSSA league play and was out of competition for 10 days. 

“We have a pretty robust, highly skilled team, and the girls had to figure out how to play without two of our starting players,” said Mr. Debassige. 

In the round-robin portion of the tournament, MSS dropped a couple of sets to teams they don’t usually lose to. “So, our confidence was a little shaken and the team had to figure out a new style to play,” he said, pointing out the Mustangs finished with a three win-three loss round-robin and ended up in second place in the B division pool.

“We had to play the third-place team in the (A division) pool in the quarter finals, Roland Michener High School based out of Timmins,” continued Mr. Debassige. The Mustangs beat them in two straight games. “Although they were close games, the team felt in control,” he said. 

This put MSS in the semi-finals against Espanola, who had placed first in their pool after the round-robin and is a team that is part of the NSSSA league. “We dropped the first set,” said Mr. Debassige. “So, it was do or die and we had to win the last two games against Espanola,” which they did including a 15-10 decision in the final game.

The Mustangs had now qualified for the finals where they were pitted up against ELSS, who had defeated Macdonald Cartier in three very competitive games in the semi-finals. 

“Since Elliot Lake is in our league and we are used to playing them, we were super confident going into the finals,” said Mr. Debassige. “They are a good team, but they haven’t beat us in the regular season.”

The Mustangs took the finals in two straight games to win the tournament. 

The Mustangs are undefeated in NSSSA league play thus far this season, nine games, and will be taking part in the playoffs in the next couple of weeks. If they end up finishing first in league standings, they will host the playoffs.

The Mustangs team members who won the championship included Elizabeth Hazlitt, Harmony Panamick, Sadie Bridgeman, Addy Gray, Jordyn Holmes, Merissa McQuarrie, Aspen Debassige, Ava Corbiere, Emery Watson and Amy Smith.

Article written by

Tom Sasvari
Tom Sasvarihttps://www.manitoulin.com
Tom Sasvari serves as the West Manitoulin news editor for The Expositor. Mr. Sasvari is a graduate of North Bay’s Canadore College School of Journalism and has been employed on Manitoulin Island, at the Manitoulin West Recorder, and now the Manitoulin Expositor, for more than a quarter-century. Mr. Sasvari is also an active community volunteer. His office is in Gore Bay.