2 tier 2 titles for hometown entries as Ottawa hosts 160 volleyball teams for 14U eastern nationals
May 6, 2025
By Isabella Disley
The Ottawa Maverick Outlaws 14U girls’ volleyball team won all three of their matches on May 4 to claim the tier 2 title at Volleyball Canada’s 14U eastern nationals at Carleton University. Photo: Isabella Disley
Ottawa hosted a massively energetic Volleyball Canada Youth National Championships 14U eastern tournament from May 2-4, as 128 girls’ and 32 boys’ teams descended on Carleton University, with three hometown teams winning gold medals in various tiers.
Ottawa has hosted the 14U event for five years in a row and seven of the last eight, with 16 courts setup in the Ravens Nest, the fieldhouse and the hockey rinks.
“We love Carleton. It’s a really great hosting city for us, and Ottawa Tourism is also a great partner for us. We know that families like coming here,” signals Sandra de Graaff, Volleyball Canada’s director of domestic competitions.
“Getting the chance for people to see what the capital looks like and to experience it is a great opportunity,” adds Shelby Prilisauer, Volleyball Canada’s indoor events lead.
The tournament had theme days, such as pyjama day, which brought out the spirit and creativity of the teams. However, a more noticeable display of connections within the volleyball community is clipping.
“There’s a new fad now where there are clothespins that the kids are tagging each other with really positive sayings or with their team names on them,” explains de Graaff. “It’s really nice for everybody to have that more than just within the province or the region, and that bigger connection across the country.”
TikTok abounds with videos of ideas for messages to include on the clothespins and athletes clipping others, sometimes by surprise.
“The clipping is huge this year. It’s not just between coaches and players; parents are involved in it as well, and it’s nice to see the younger siblings also go around and do it,” Prilisauer notes. “It’s a very fun atmosphere. It gets other athletes to talk to other people, and it’s been great.”
Maverick Outlaws 14U girls’ volleyball team. Photo: Isabella Disley
On the court, a pair of local teams won tier 2 national titles for ninth place overall. After going 3-3 on the first two days of competition, the Ottawa Fusion Purple boys’ team won a trio of three-set matches on the final day to earn a tier 2 gold medal.
Maverick Outlaws 14U girls’ volleyball. Photo: Isabella Disley
On the second day, the Maverick Outlaws girls won a 32-30 set and then traded many match points before falling 25-21, 13-25, 18-20 to York’s Venom Valor to conclude pool play with a 2-4 record. The next day, the Outlaws rallied for three straight playoff wins and the tier 2 title.
The gold medal from nationals marked the end of a season that began in September for the group. Training together three days a week, the Outlaws also travelled to compete in many tournaments in Ontario, Quebec and the United States throughout the year, which made playing nationals at home comforting and convenient.
“We do a lot of different tournaments all over the place, but we really try to prepare and peak for nationals,” notes Outlaws head coach Denis King. “We travel a lot, and to be able to drive down the street and play in Ottawa is amazing.”
While most teams have a roster of 10 players, the Outlaws carried 12 for development purposes.
“(The bond) is pretty tight. Right from the beginning of the season, we’ve been doing lots of activities off the court,” signals King, whose players went to an escape room together early on.
Maverick Outlaws 14U girls’ volleyball. Photo: Isabella Disley
King says that development and enjoyment of volleyball are the key objectives at the 14U level.
“The number one rule for me is to make sure the kids love the sport,” King underlines. “They want to work hard and develop these athletes to become people. Wanting them to come and play the sport and love the sport and wanting to show up the next day is what’s most important at this age.”
The Maverick Raiders also earned a national gold medal in the eighth tier with eight wins in their nine matches. Six girls’ teams and four boys’ teams from Ottawa were entered in total at the event.
The youth volleyball nationals continue throughout May. There are also Atlantic and western 14U events, while Edmonton will host tournaments for the 15U through 18U divisions later this month.
The Mavericks will have several strong entries in those competitions, having earned top-tier silver and bronze medals at the 17U and 15U boys’ provincials in recent weeks.
Ottawa welcomes 168 more basketball teams for U14 boys’ Ontario Cup
The average height of 14-year-olds in town jumped up a fair bit as Ottawa also hosted the U14 boys’ Ontario Cup basketball tournament on the same dates. A total of 168 teams took part in that event at various sites, with the top divisions held at Algonquin College.
The Gloucester Wolverines competed in the highest level of competition out of local entries, splitting their contests to place seventh in division 2. Ottawa Next Level won the div. 3 crown with a 64-62 triumph over the JCC Warriors, while Nepean won div. 7.
The U14 boys’ tournament was the second of three Ontario Cup events hosted in Ottawa this season. The U12 girls’ competition was held in mid-April, while the U17 and U19 boys will come to town May 30-June 1.
