Staying home for tournament play can have its advantages.

Nestled among the glut of Northern Chill Volleyball Club teams who are enjoying the opportunity to welcome OVA visitors to the Fieldhouse at Laurentian University, the 14U Chill White Ice capitalized on a commendable performance in a tough morning pool, setting themselves up nicely for the playoff round later in the day a couple of weeks ago in TLS Girls McGregor Cup – Trillium E play.

The end result for the young girls was a bronze medal haul as the White Ice finished third in a field of nine teams, after entering the event as the #5 seed.

Battling a pair of opponents who travelled north for the event, the Sudbury side went three sets before disposing of both the Orillia Suns Guardians (20-25, 25-9, 15-6) and the Orillia Suns Galaxy (21-25, 25-23, 15-11), capturing top spot in Pool B.

That meant a quarter-final matchup with the #3 team in Pool A, with the locals sweeping past the Galaxy Nebulas from Richmond Hill, 25-10, 25-10, moving on to the final four and guaranteeing themselves a crack at a medal.

Facing the top seed in semi-final action, the Chill took the Barrie Elites Blackout to the limit, beaten 25-22, 21-25, 9-15. If the nickel city crew were the least bit disheartened by the loss, it clearly did not show itself in the bronze medal battle as the 14U White Ice bested a northern rival, taking two straight from the North Bay Jr Lakers Wave, 25-20, 25-18.

The lineup for the 2024-2025 Northern Chill White Ice features Daya Bascom, Kamryn Blanchfield, Charlie Bowes, Emma Côté, Amara Heckman, Hayley Holmes, Maelle Lamoureux, Olivia Lavallee, Sophia Salmaso, Reagan Lavigne, Cora Robitaille, Oliviah Thaw, head coach Raina Blanchfield, assistant coach Tamara Mitoma-Robitaille and team manager Michelle Bascom.