Where the entire month of April was previously filled with pretty much non-stop weekends of OVA (Ontario Volleyball Association) Provincial Championships, the entirety of the event hosted at Rim Park in Kitchener-Waterloo, the move to the Enercare Centre on the grounds of the CNE in Toronto has condensed the festivities to just 10 days (April 16th – 25th).
It is at the very tail-end of that sequence that the Northern Chill U18 Glaciers' boys will look to hold or better their #7 ranking in the province of Ontario, pitted against the likes of the Durham Attack Blast, Maverick Mustangs (Ottawa) and Pakmen Gold (Mississauga).
“We have all of the solid fundamental pieces – three solid outside hitters, good setting – and we have the size now with a couple and middles,” said head coach James Schweyer recently, his team finishing fifth in a pair of the five tournaments that they attended with that top grouping in Ontario this year.
“We play consistent enough to hold our own. Our focus is winning the first contact battle: strong serving, strong passing. If you do those well, you can compete with anybody.”
Working with a core of this group since they arrived on the Chill scene at U14, Schweyer has seen athletes come and go but is more than a little comfortable with the approach that he takes in terms of working towards a common style of play on the court.
"I have a consistent set of drill banks that I use," said Schweyer, a man who has coached for well over a decade with the NCVC but who was also at the helm of Cambrian volleyball back in the late nineties. "Some of the players already know that so when we welcome new players in, they are just assimilating into the system."
"I go through with them, position by position, outlining their primary skills, secondary skills, tertiary skills," he added. "The guys know what their role is and what their responsibilities are."
The fact that the team has been able to expand the scope of the reach of their lineup has not hurt either, with Espanola Secondary School standout Ethan Leblanc jumping aboard three years ago.
A “AA” hockey talent until he hit high-school, Leblanc has developed his setting proficiency to the point of earning a spot with the Nipissing Lakers for 2026-2027 – a team coming off a 4th place finish in the OUA this past winter.
Yet for as good as he is, Leblanc knows that university volleyball involves another giant leap forward. “I am working on making sure that I am early to the ball for all of my sets, not getting there just on time,” explained the senior whose high-school coach (Nick Hannah) is a product of the Nipissing environment.
“Being under the ball and having time to take a quick look across the net and see where their blockers are is important. That and the speed – getting more accuracy at a faster speed with my sets.”
Joining the Chill Glaciers the same season as Leblanc, Ecole secondaire catholique l’Horizon middle Wesley Gibson was also forced to refine his game substantially when he layered on club competition with some of the top kids in the province to his experience with the Aigles squad in Val Caron.
“My blocking is pretty good now,” said Gibson with a smile. “I see the hitters a lot better. I used to close my eyes and duck my head – I don’t do that anymore. When I am really into it with lots of adrenaline, I will have really good form and stay facing the hitter, not twisting.”
We're not sure whether that falls under primary, secondary or tertiary skills - but it is an area that coach Schweyer will stress as he looks to prepare these young men for post-secondary competition.
"The next level for us is better blocking and defense," explained Schweyer. "Being square longer so that you are taking away court so that the defense can play around the blocks. It's all about being solid and in control of your lanes."
These are factors that come into play when the group staring you down from the other wide of the net includes oversized lads who will suit up in OUA and OCAA competition in the years to come.
"Being able to play all of those top teams and having tight games with them is definitely better, whether you win or lose," said Leblanc. "In our first year, we played in a lower division and won quite a bit - but this helps you develop more."
"It's a chance to play a bunch of guys that are as good or better than us," added Gibson. Both he and his Aigles and Chill teammate Addison Denomme were confirmed as recruits to a highly successful Cambrian Shield men's volleyball program.
Coach Dale Beausoleil and company are coming off back to back silver medal performances at the OCAA Championships, claiming bronze the year before that. In Addison Denomme, the Shield are bringing aboard an impressive multi-sport athlete who was named as the Male Athlete of the Year at Horizon when he was just in grade 10.
Rounding out the U18 Chill Glaciers roster are MacArthur Young, Hayden Quevillon, Justin Lafontaine, Jeremy Rhéaume, Jack Jones, Olivier Tremblay, Riley Payzant, Max Gilroy and Logan Gilpin.