June 1, 2006

VolleyFX Chant took home the Gold and their first tournament win of the season on Sunday, May 21st. Playing in the sixteen and under age division of the WEVA Festival, Chant finished first in their pool dropping only a single game (25-23) to the VolleyFX "Hocus Pocus" team (a makeshift team consisting of various players from Mantra, Charm and Trance to fill an opening left by a team that dropped out at the last minute).

The road leading to the Championship title was not a smooth one for Chant as they encountered several bumps along the way. Without starting setter, Jenni Jones, who had been sidelined for the past month with a bone fracture, Coaches Cindy and Tara looked to their backup setter, Aubrey Cooke, to deliver the ball. However, coping with a recent back injury of her own, Aubrey was unable to withstand the physical demands of a day-long tournament and needed a reprieve. Turning to Megan Turner, who had some setting experience last season, Coaches Tara and Cindy were hoping that Megan would be able to tap into those rusty skills and fill the void. Fortunately, the team seemed to make all the necessary adjustments as they successfully completed pool play and were able to overcome Xtreme Flare in the Quarter-Finals.

Chant faced Xtreme Blast 16-2s in the Semi-Final round and started out slow dropping the first game. Chant regained their composure and confidence in the second game pulling out the win and taking game three. While the team celebrated their victory and opportunity to play in the final round, they were faced with yet a couple more challenges. Two of Chant's dependable back-row players, Marissa Woodcome (L) and Ashlee DiSalvo (DS), had prior commitments scheduled for later that day which weren't expected to interfere had the tournament kept on track. However, withthe Finals match starting almost two hours behind schedule, Marissa and Ashlee were reluctantly forced to leave their team behind. But Chant was up for the challenge. Middle hitters Julie Williams and Sam Good stepped up big to fill the holes in the back row, and outside hitters Mary Cocking, Jane Petzold and right-side new-comer, Megan Coates, dished out an offense that was difficult to stop. The opposing team, CVC from ????, was dumbfounded after game one when Chant blocked more balls and sang the "roof" cheer more times than ever heard in a single game. Chant's momentum was strong and unwavering enabling them to beat CVC in two straight to clinch the victory.

Great job, Chant!

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