SESSION ONE OF WINTER SEMI-PRIVATE TRAINING SESSION The Predators Volleyball Club will be offering semi-private lessons to any interested athletes starting right after the Christmas holidays.  We will be offering lessons for three age groups; 12U and 13U, 14U and 15U, and 16U, 17U and 18U.  Details appear below  The sessions will be offered in three or 4 week blocks and an athlete must sign up for the full block if they wish to participate.  The cost will be $20 per session.  There are a limited number of spaces available which will be offered on a first-come, first-serve basis.  12U AND 13U SESSIONS Setter Training This four week session will focus on teaching the young setter the basics of setting.  Emphasis will be placed on footwork, hand positioning, maintaining proper form, and set location.   Being able to set the ball to all three locations along the net accurately will focus of these sessions. Location: St. John Kilmarnock Dates: Monday, Janaury 16, 23, 30 and February 6, 2012 Time: 7:00 pm to 8:15 pm Cost: $80 payable to "Kitchener-Waterloo Predators Volleyball Club" Limited to 6 Setters. 14U and 15U Sessions Outside Hitter and Setter Training This four week session will incorporate the setter with the outside hitter.  The focus will be on setters setting the different sets to the outside with the hitters learning to attack these sets and hitting to different areas of the court.  Emphasis will be on left-side attacking, right-side attacking, defense to offensive transition and blocking to offensive transition.  A limited amount of passing will also be incorporated into each session. Location: Preston High School Dates: Thursday, January 19, 26, February 2 and 9 Time: 7:00 pm to 8:15 pm Cost: $80 payable to "Kitchener-Waterloo Predators Volleyball Club" Limited to 6 outside hitters and 3 setters. 16U, 17U and 18U Sessions Middle and Setter Training This session will emphasize the connection between the middle attacker and the setter in running a first-tempo attack.  All the middle sets from 51, 31, 61 and 91 will be the focus along with transitioning from blocking to attacking. Location : Preston High School Dates: Thursday, January 19. 26, February 2 and 9 Time: 8:15 pm to 9:30 pm Cost: $80 payable to "Kitchener-Waterloo Predators Volleyball Club" Limited to 6 middle attackers and 3 setters.   REGISTRATION To register for one of the sessions, please send an e-mail to kwpredators@rogers.com.  Include in the e-mail, the athlete's name, the session signing-up for and the position the athlete plays.  Please mail your cheque to: Kitchener-Waterloo Predators Volleyball Club 80 Keller Crescent Kitchener, ON  N2N 3M7 If you have any questions, please send an e-mail to kwpredators@rogers.com or feel free to call Paul at 519-570-2977.

REGISTRATION FOR SPRING YOUTH PROGRAMS NOW OPEN

Registration for the MiniPreds, Spikes and Youth League are now open for the Spring of 2012. Though the final dates and locations have not been finalized, anyone who wishes to register for one of these programs can now do so. The MiniPreds is a program intended for the youngest of athletes, male and female, ranging in ages 4 to 8 years inclusive. The Spikes program is intended for boys and girls in grades 4 and 5, while the Youth League is for boys and girls in grades 6, 7 and 8. The fall session of all three programs filled to capacity and many young athletes had to be put on a waiting list, so it is recommended that if you wish to be part of the spring session, you should sign up early. The expected start dates for all three programs is late March or early April. Click the links below for more information or to register for one of the programs.

Information on the MiniPreds Program.
Register for the MiniPreds Program.

Information on the Spikes Program.
Register for the Spikes Program.

Information on the Youth League.
Register for the Youth League.

17U BOYS EARN SILVER IN PREMIER DIVISION

The 17U Boys played back to back weekends on Dec 10 and Dec 17.  On Dec 10 the team played in the 18U Championship Division in Cobourg.  The team was seeded 12th out of 12 teams and faced both the 4th and 5th seeds in their pool play.  After finishing 2nd in pool play (4th seed – 26-28, 25-19, 14-16; 5th seed 25-8; 25-18), the pre-quarter match win was against another 17U Boys team X-Men (25-17; 25-17).  The quarter final match was against the home team Northhumberland Breakers.  The Preds started strong but were unable to maintain focus and momentum to finish (25-19; 23-25; 8-15).  The final victory of the day placed the team in 7th position – a good jump from the 12th place start.
On Dec 17, the team competed in the 17U Premier tournament.  They entered the tournament as the 9th seed out of 9 teams.  They faced both the 3rd seed (Pakmen 16U) and 4th seed (Durham Attack Black) in their pool play.  Against Pakmen 16U, the team played hard start to finish earning a victory (28-26, 17-25, 15-13).  The 2nd match of the day against Durham Attack was a straight 2 set victory (25-14, 25-18).  The quarter final match was against the host team London Sharks.  The team had the goal of top 4 in mind as they won the match (25-14, 25-15).  The semi final match was against 2nd seed Onyx, it took 2 hard fought sets (26-24, 27-25) to move into the Gold Medal match against Pakmen (#1 seed).  Although the team lost the first set 18-25; they played well but lost 23-25 in the second set.  It was a great effort by all athletes, as they demonstrated control under consistent pressure throughout the day.  Capturing a silver medal in the 17U Premier division is a great way to end 2011.
Happy New Year from the 17U Boys Purple

16U GIRLS PURPLE CLAW TO REMAIN IN PREMIER DIVISION

The 16U Girls Predators Purple played in the Premier Division of the Challenge Cup at St. Benedict’s Saturday Dec. 17th.  The top 8 teams from the previous Championship tournaments were set in 2 pools of 4.  The top 5 finishers would remain while the bottom 3 would return to Championship Division.  The work was cut out for the team as all 4 teams in the pool would eventually finish in the top 6.  The team struggled in pool play as they were defeated 2-0 by Eclipse West, Eclipse East and Georgetown Impact.  The team regrouped in the playoffs with passionate volleyball that would carry them through to a 5th place finish.  A quarter-final loss to the eventual champions STVC Synergy from Scarborough was followed by wins over Mississauga Pakmen and Georgetown Impact.  The victory over Georgetown rewarded the 16U Girls Predators Purple a well earned fifth place and a spot in the next Premier tournament.  The final placing for the tournament in order from Champion to 8th was STVC Synergy, Eclipse East, Eclipse West, FCVC, KW Predators Purple, Georgetown, Pakmen and Ottawa Mavericks.  Well done team.  Happy Holidays to all.

18U Preds Girls Purple Team Support Needy Children At Christmas Time

On Wednesday, December 21, 2011, the Predators 18U Girls Purple Team, represented by Candice Scott and Marissa Mota, showed their Christmas spirit by delivering gifts from each team member to the Tree of Angels at Conestoga Mall in Waterloo.  The girls purchased gifts they thought another team member might have liked as a child. 

14U GIRLS PURPLE TEAM WIN SILVER MEDAL

The Predators 14U Girls Purple team competed in the Trillium B Challenge Cup at Jacob Hespeler on December 17.  As the number 9 seed the girls played the first seeded Niagara Rapids Black team in their first match.  After a tough first set loss, the girls started out strong, with an 8-0 lead, but eventually fell 23-25.  In the second match of pool play, they handled a 13U Burlington Blaze team in two, 25-17 and 25-8.  The first match of the playoffs saw the girls up against a Waterloo Tigers Black squad who they also defeated in two, 25-12, 25-6.  Next up was another Niagara team, Rapids Blue.  The girls were able to beat them in two 25-12 and 25-10.  This advanced the girls to the semi-finals against Hamilton Smash.  Playing well behind some stellar serving from Jessica Moua and some aggressive attacking from Natasha Quiring and Sierra Dowling, the Predators sealed the deal in two straight games.  Now guaranteed a medal, the team found themselves back up against the Rapids Black team.  After a shaky start that saw the girls down 7-2, the Preds rallied back to tie the score at 12.  Unfortunately, the Rapids were able to hold on winning 20-25.  The Preds came back strong in the second set, but came up short falling 20-25 again.  A hard fought match that lead to a silver medal, was something that the team is very proud of.

13U GIRLS RAISE EYEBROWS

The 13U girls participated in their second tournament of the season, playing in the 14U division.  This team has been raising a lot of eyebrows, and this weekend was no exception.  A slow start to the Niagara Rapids B team put the team in an early hole, but they woke up and won their second match against the Tornadoes form Brantford.  A win in their second match against Guelph pitted the Preds against the number one team from Niagara.  This team was very good, however the girls played very nervous in the first set and then toughened up in the second set losing 25-21.  The Preds won their final match against MAC 14U, giving them a 5th place finish.  In the two tournaments this team has played, their only losses were against the teams that ended up moving into the premier division.  Look for good thing from this team in 2012.

15U BOYS FALL JUST SHORT OF A MEDAL

The 15U boys team travelled to Thorold Secondary School on Saturday to play against the top teams in the age division.  Seeded third going into the Premier tournament, the boys started strong winning their first two matches.  They then lost to the number 2 seed, Durham Attakh in their last pool match.  The team came out strong in the quarter-final playoff round, defeating Hamilton in 2 straight games.  The semi-final was against the number one team from the other pool - Mississauga Pakmen, who were last year's provincial champions.  The first set was the best set of the day for the team as they thoughly outplayed the Pakmen to win 25-18.  Unfortunately, they could not maintain the momentum for the 2nd set and lost.  The third set began much better and the Preds held a lead for most of the game, however, in the end they lost a close one to lose an opportunity to play for the gold medal.  The team left all their energy on the floor in the semi-final and lost the Bronze medal game to finish fourth on the day.  However, one goal was accomplished - to remain in the top division as we move forward.  The boys are looking forward to playing more consistently as the season progresses.