To say a Provincial Championship was unexpected for Air Attack’s 15U Boys volleyball team would be an understatement.
After all, the team entered the Provincial Championships as the 11th seed having not even played a semi-final match all season long – their best finish was a tie for seventh place in Kelowna.
But the unexpected did indeed happen on Saturday night at Tradex in Abbotsford, B.C., as Air Attack (Gold) knocked off Apex (Ignite), 21-25, 25-21, 15-13 to capture the Gold Medal in the 15U Boys age category.
“The game was really close and both teams were fighting hard with both teams wanting to win really badly, but in the end, it came down to who kept their composure,” middle blocker Makenzie Hui said post-game. “We all played really well and we all did our jobs on the court and pulled it together today as a team.”
Hui, who is in his first season at the club volleyball level with Air Attack after being introduced to the sport in Grade 7 and 8, says he is already looking forward to next season.
“This is my first year (of club volleyball) and it’s been an experience, and to get a Provincial Championship right away is great,” Hui said. “It feels amazing! I’ll definitely play club volleyball again next year, and keep pushing forward to see how far I can take my skills.” Hui was selected as a tournament All-Star along with teammate Amos Cheng, with Marcus Lam named as tournament MVP.
The historic win is the first Division 1 Gold Medal won at the Provincial level by any Air Attack boys team. The Air Attack Volleyball Club has been around for 29 years, although, they have not had boys volleyball teams for the entire existence of the club.
Driving home the final point in the win was Air Attack right-side hitter, Willy Billedo, whose service ace ricocheted off an Apex player’s forearms, and the rest was history.
“My serve was the winning point, but overall, it was a team win and really fun,” said Billedo, the three-year Air Attack athlete who wasn’t sure how to feel after the historical win.
“We lost the first set, but overall, we came back strong and confident,” Billedo said. ”We trusted our system and never hesitated to go after the ball.”
For Air Attack, this championship has been a decade in the making after previously winning a Bronze Medal years ago in the 15U age group. That win triggered a shift in thinking as after that, Air Attack’s Boys Club Director, Daniel Wong, started having most of the boys club teams train together.
It’s been exactly 10 years since Air Attack’s 15U Boys coach Matt Ng first started formalizing the Air Attack boys program in Richmond with Doug Jesson and Daniel Wong. Their first 14U team came from inviting one to two athletes from almost every school in Richmond. Wong and Ng won Provincial Bronze in 2012 coaching at the 15U level and in 2013 at the 16U level.
Fast forward five years to 2018 and Wong decided to join Ng in coaching the 15U program with the same training philosophy of having both Air Attack 15U teams practice together.
“When we have two teams at practice, it means we’re always being challenged by the other team,” said head coach, Matt Ng. “It’s really exciting for the guys to practice together and push each other.”
After Air Attack lost the first set Ng rallied the team on the sidelines reminding them that trailing 1-0 is a familiar place for this team. He also added that he was proud of how the team played all weekend.
“They were great at staying composed, not arguing with the referees, respecting the game and playing the right way,” Ng said. “Tactically wise, I think we were very composed on our defensive strategies and we stayed aggressive on attacking all weekend.”
15U Boys Medalists
1- Air Attack Gold
2- Apex Ignite
3- Sky Black
Rest of the tournament results can be found here.
Live stream videos, include matches of the finals can be found on our Facebook page.
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