The main focus of the 13U Girls Kitchener-Waterloo Predators Volleyball Club program is to have a lot of fun, learn about the game of volleyball and then, have even more fun! This was the case for their first Ontario Volleyball Association tournament, the 13U Girls Provincial Cup, this past Saturday at Jacob Heslper S.S. in Cambridge.

“We wanted to work hard to achieve our three goals which were 100% effort, staying positive, and getting 75% of our serves over the net.” said Head Coach Stephen Green. “We were able to do all three, or get very close, while both learning A LOT about the game of volleyball and having a lot of FUN along the way!”

The twelve athletes, with all but one playing in their first major volleyball tournament, hit the floor running with strong communication and teamwork by winning their first two matches of the day defeating London Forest City “Grey” (25-21, 25-20) and then their cross-town rivals Waterloo Tigers Red (23-25, 25-22, 16-14). The “Little Preds” worked hard, passed well, and served great!

The next three matches proved to be the learning experience part of the day for the group losing to the Stratford Stingers Gold (15-25, 17-25), London Forest City “Blue” (12-25, 15-25) and Twin-Bridges Thunder (11-25, 25-18, 4-15). The team struggled to find the consistency they had found in the morning but had many exciting plays, lots of “firsts” around serving and hitting, and most notably the best team “KABOOM” cheer of the tournament!

“With our goals being met, or being very close, we got our season off to a fun-filled start that has set us up to get better as the year progresses!” said Green.

The “Little Preds” next game action is the McGregor Cup on Saturday December 8th at Jacob Heslper S.S.