Volleyball is seldom home to a game-changing injury - and almost never, mid-match.

Yet there was no denying that the loss of a key attacker in the SDSSAA Division I senior girls volleyball Friday at Cambrian College clearly affected the flow of the play.

All of which is not to take anything away at all from the Confederation Chargers, capturing their first title since 2022 but fifth in the past nine years (backing out Covid) thanks to a 25-20, 25-13, 28-26 sweep of the Lockerby Vikings.

Finishing with a record of 7-2 and one of four teams at the very top of the standings which took turns knocking each other off, the Chargers had dropped a five set classic to the Vikes less than one month ago, a score line of 25-15, 25-23, 25-27, 25-27, 15-13 a testament to just how closely matched these two teams are.

There was every hope that a battle to the finish was in order on Friday, long before stellar Lockerby middle Cassidy Warren was ousted from the gold medal encounter, a victim of a nasty hand/finger injury on an attempted block.

With or without Warren in the lineup, Confederation captain Mara Kahl and her team were more than prepared to go the distance on this day.

“Lockerby has a lot of great hitters,” noted the 17 year old senior who started with the Northern Chill Volleyball Club at the age of 13. “It was all about focusing on our defense – and today, we really put it all together. And our communication: we all had to be on the same page with where we are on the court and what we are doing.”

“We have a lot of big swings on our team, but we also have a lot of very good defensive players.”

The top end of SDSSAA Girls Volleyball are no strangers to close encounters in recent years, though shifting the setting to the sprawling expanse of the Cambrian College gymnasium does not go unnoticed.

“It’s definitely an adjustment, just because of how much bigger the gym is,” said Kahl. “I feel that it’s better for our team with the high ceilings. It’s a lot different than the standard high-school gyms.”

Joining Kahl on the Confederation roster are Sophie Marshall, Morgan Gauvreau, Avery Gauvreau, Malin Brunette, Kaylee Baillargeon, Alexia Savoie, Harlym Triff, Kyra Lefebvre, Ava McLinton, Lex O'Dell, Elizabeth Lynds and coaches Craig Thomson, Kennedy Ward, Ashley Ruddick and Rylee Thompson.

If for no other factor than the game officials alone, that small handful of dedicated folks who were working the entire quintet of finals, the sweeps that ensued in the second half of the day presented a welcomed relief.

The novices set the tone for what may have been an extremely long day as the Lasalle Lancers prevailed 25-16, 15-25, 26-28, 25-11, 16-14 over the Horizon Aigles, causing the junior final to run late, right from the start.

Lasalle Lancers: Chloe Robichaud, Sarika Chapman, Julia Nadjiwon, Summer Seguin, Taylor Demers, Clara Hauser, Emma Stripay-Gobeil, Ryleigh Rickard and coaches Emily O'Connell and Morgan Saunders.

Trailing two sets to one and 18-12 in the fourth set, the Horizon junior girls also decided that they were in no rush to end the festivites, battling their way back to take down the Lo-Ellen Park Knights 25-18, 17-25, 21-25, 25-21, 15-8.

In a sport that is marked by frequent swings in momentum, the Aigles were tapping into any advantage they could in walking away with their first ever SDSSAA Division I Girls Volleyball banner.

“We tried getting our crowd to cheer very loud (which they did) and we were pumping each other up, helping each other fix our mistakes and giving each other feedback,” said 15 year old left-side (and part-time setter and middle) Macie Barlow. “We made sure to stay on our toes, to always be able to move back and forward.”

Also a veteran of the Chill Volleyball family, Barlow is focused on her position as setter in the club setting, a valuable skill-set when it comes to defending against a scrappy opponent such as the Knights at the net.

“They always are trying to put the ball over, no matter what,” said Barlow. “It can come out of nowhere. Playing as a setter helps me tell where their sets are going, where to block.”

Horizon Aigles: Jullian Martin, Melody Lavergne, Anabelle Denommé, Tessa van Drunen, Anika Rhéaume, Gabrielle Fantin, Makenna Messier, Peyton Tessier, Zoé Doucet and coaches Patrick Gervais and Christine Lamarche.

The St Benedict Bears earned Division II junior girls bragging rights thanks to a 25-12, 25-11, 25-15 toppling of the Bishop Carter Gators and while some matches that end in three sets can be somewhat anti-climactic, that isn’t necessarily always the case.

St Benedict Bears: Kiana Oram, Sloanne Hall, Brooklyn Toulouse, Dylan McGee, Chloe Cothill, Alivia Buchowski, Luella Cercelli, Emma DeMarchi, Kallie Smith, Cora Dippong, Elie Lopes, Ella Loschmidt, Isabella Rocca, Allie Vaillancourt and coaches Chris Holden and Michael N'Goyet.

“We’ve never won against Bishop Carter in three years,” exclaimed Lively Hawks' senior setter Kate Turner, her crew finally turning the trick in the final match of the day, full measure for a 25-20, 25-17, 25-20 victory. “Our communcation has gotten so much better as a team, our friendship on and off the court has gotten better.”

As the floor general of the team and with three years of experience at the senior level, Turner is capable of making split-second assessments, putting her team in the best possible position for success.

"I am looking to set whoever I know is ready; I try and have an eye on all players," said Turner. "It's important that players take their own ball, that we can't get in each other's way."

"We have to be confident in the hitters that they can put it over when it's needed."

A 17 year-old grade 11 student, libero Meela Ledingham has taken to what she describes as a "very defined position - and one of the more important roles on the team" quite well.

"I find that I am very quick on my feet and have very good reflexes," said Ledingham. "I am able to read the plays really well, so I think that back row is definitely where I belong."

Give their track record versus the Gators, Ledingham knew that it was going to take everything the Hawks could muster to claim the city banner.

“They are a very energetic team and they communicate really well,” she said. “We didn’t get down on ourselves. If we got down a couple of points, we would take a breath, reset and continue our game and do what we are good at.”

Lively Hawks: Alivia Beattie, Kamryn Maloney, Olivia MacLean, Hailey Larochelle, Emma Firmin, Jasmine Lussier, Ava Charbonneau, Sabrina Nootchtai and coaches Pam Pancel, Jen Hull and Bria Tomlinson.