First Half Wrap Up

As one of the fastest first halves in my 25 years closes its books I thought I would reflect back on the term and share with you where we are at.

I think if someone asked me to describe our first half, I would have to say, tough, challenging, enlightening, and definitely forward moving.

We started out at home against the cross-town boys from RMC. I made the decision to play our first and second year boys in this one. They had a scrimmage match in Calgary the previous week and were very good together and I wanted so see how this group would perform in a meaningful competition. In addition we were dealing with a fair bit of wear and tear in some of our veterans, so I took the risk, wanting to rest certain players. Much to my delight, we were able to take the match in straight sets.

After that, it was definitely the toughest regular season start of my career. We hit the road for our longest two trips right off the bat. Our trek to Windsor and Western proved a bit disheartening as despite strong performances, particularly in Calgary, in the preseason, we dropped back to back matches 3-1 and 3-0.

We weren't scoring in key situations, our passing wasn't up to expectation and our efficiency attacking on the outside was not good enough. We tried sticking with a line-up to create stability, but that didn't produce results.

We came back 0 & 2 and put a lot of focus into both passing and attacking on the outside, as well as defense and transition to score. 1 & 2 on the season.

The next weekend, more long distance travel - as we headed back into the west - with Guelph and Waterloo to face. Against Guelph things didn't change much. We still struggled with the same elements and this time, I made changes more readily to see if others would bring more effectiveness. Things were better at times, but we still made too many errors at key times.

After some very good discussion and a plan to take some pressure off ourselves, we seemed to find a better stride. We took Waterloo 3-0 and showed moments of brilliance, but clearly we still had a lot of things to sort out and the personnel on the outside continued to be variable.

The bus ride home felt a little better. 2 & 3 on the season.

November 18th and finally a 2-game home weekend! We were pumped. Toronto was the victim of our home stance. After winning decisively in the second set and going ahead two sets to zero, I gave several younger players a shot. It was good to see the promise of the future perform in a meaningful match again and despite dropping the set by 4 points, I felt lots of positives came from that set. With our vets back on the court in the fourth, we ended the match 25-18 and moved to 3 & 3. Still far below early expectations.

McMaster was our next opponent. I felt we came out prepared. We were relaxed and focused and again looked like I felt we should - taking the first two sets 25-21, 25-15. In the third, I felt our intensity changed. Perhaps we were too comfortable. Perhaps we became too predictable. In any case we dropped the third 22-25. In the fourth, we had a couple swings for match point and we didn't finish. We went down 24-26. Pretty discouraging to go to a fifth when we were up and so strong after two. Clearly though, something had changed. Volleyball is a game of momentum. The pendulum had swung and we played poorly when it mattered most. Our 4th loss.

We then had a weekend off. I headed to OFSAA to look as future prospects and the boys had some down time before ending with another home 2-match weekend.

To close out the fall, we hosted Ryerson and York. We took both matches in straight sets despite a good push from both opponents.

So, the first half wraps up at 5 & 4. Clearly not what we hoped for. The good news is with other teams also knocking each other off, we are only 1 win out of third and 2 wins out of second, so we are still optimistic about challenging for the OUA title. Hosting the Final Four does seem out of reach however, unless something major happens at the top of the standings.

Now we move to a modified schedule of practice every other day. Maintenance on where we are at is the goal for the next 2 to 3 weeks. Guys will have to miss a session here and there but everyone is committed to ensuring there is no regression. We are also back hard in the weight room for the next 3-4 weeks.

On December 28th we head out to Langley, British Columbia. Our team is doing a week of joint training and a few matches with Trinity Western University. We hope to have some of our injury issues sorted out by then and we are looking forward to taking our game to the next level, in preparation for the CIS Championships on March 2-4, 2012, here at Queen's.

For those of you who haven't gotten them yet, you can purchase your tickets to the big show on line at: http://events.queensu.ca/cismensvb

Have a wonderful holiday everyone and to those who have exams ahead of you, I wish you the best of luck!

Women's Basketball - Game Report

Hi Folks,

Our fall league schedule has come to a close, with less than spectacular results. We experienced our first double-loss of the season, dropping a 61-58 decision to Western and an 83-53 thrashing to Windsor.

We were not sharp against Western and found ourselves trailing 15-9 after the first quarter. Struggling to adjust to their attacks, we went down another 5 points (19-14) in the second to trail 34-23 at half. A half time adjustment met with limited success and the third quarter ended with us still down 11 (49-38). We made our run in the fourth quarter and actually grabbed a one point lead 52-51 before surrendering 6 straight points. We brought it back to 1, 59-58 before being forced to foul.

Brittany Moore finished with 22 points – the only player in double digits.

(SID report: http://www.gogaelsgo.com/news/2011/12/2/asdfdsafs.aspx?path=wbball)

Windsor set the tone for the game very early as they crushed us on the offensive glass. Numerous trips down the floor met with two and three attempts at the hoop. Trailing 22-10 after the first quarter, we managed to settle down a little in the second, but still lost the quarter by 2, 17-15 and trailed 39-25 at the half. We were dominated in the second half in three critical areas: Points off turnovers: 16-11, Second chance points: 23-2, Fast Break points: 4-0. If you add the numbers (43-13) the difference is 30 points – their margin of victory! Somewhat surprisingly perhaps, I think we competed harder and with a little more intelligence in this game than versus Western. Our execution (predominately our finishing) was struggling, leading to a lot of transition or run-out points for Windsor.

Brittany Moore, was again, our only player in double digits with 19 points.

(SID report: http://www.gogaelsgo.com/news/2011/12/3/fasdfa.aspx?path=wbball)

So, the fall league schedule is complete. We finished with a 4-4 record, tied for 4th place in the East (with York), one game behind both Toronto and Carleton (5-3). Ottawa sits atop our division with a 6-2 record.

Last year our record against the West Division was 1-7. A definite improvement this year for sure, however, the losses to Brock (OT) and Western are not very palatable.

Up Next on the Road:
We head to San Juan Puerto Rico for our annual Tropical Training Camp. We will be in the tropics from December 28th to January 3rd, with two games on the schedule:

Thursday, December 29th vs. University of Puerto Rico at Bayamon 3pm (local time)
Monday, January 2nd vs. Swarthmore College (Pennsylvania) 1pm (local time)

Other Tidbits:
Sydney Kernahan was the Queen’s Player of the Week last week for her dominating performances on the offensive glass in the McMaster & Brock games.

Brittany Moore now needs only 22 points to move into fifth place on the all-time OUA scoring list as she currently sits at 1,427 career points.

ID/Training Camp:
For serious High School players in Grades 10-12
Sunday, December 11th
On Court 9:30-11:45am
Break for Lunch
Facility Tour and Q&A Session 12:15-1:30pm
On Court 1:30-3:30pm
There is no cost to attend, but please drop me an email so I can prepare for numbers. (dave.wilson@queensu.ca)

That’s it for now. While I won’t have another Game Report until the New Year, keep your eyes open for an exciting Press Release in the very near future.

All the best for the holiday season and thanks for your continued support.

Dave.

Women's Basketball - Game Report

Hi Folks,

Another split on the weekend – very much a Jekyll & Hyde affair – as we dominated our Friday game against McMaster, winning 94-65, before playing our sloppiest basketball of the season to lose in overtime to Brock 71-69.

We came out firing on all cylinders Friday night against McMaster dominating from the opening tip off. Moving and shooting the basketball very well, we opened up a 29-13 lead at the end of one quarter. McMaster tried to battle back in the second, but we managed to increase our lead, outscoring the Maurauders 20-16, to head into half time with a 49-29 lead. In past years, we have struggled when holding a significant half time lead – so this was an area of concern. Those concerns were alleviated pretty quickly as we extended our lead with a 25-14 quarter. Mac outscored us by two in the final quarter, 22-20 to end with the 94-65 score.

Rachael Urosevic (named Player of the Game) led all scorers with 15 points on 4-7 shooting from beyond the 3pt. line. Paige Robinson and Brittany Moore each had 14 points, while Christine Wallace added 10 points. All 11 players dressed (Liz Boag is recovering from a mild concussion) recorded at least 2 points, and while we shot the ball extremely well (50% from 2, 60% from 3, and 86% from the foul line), a key factor was our ability to take care of the ball, recording a season low 14 turnovers.

Now for the Hyde version on Saturday against Brock. One would think that playing the #8 ranked team in the country (and only undefeated team in Ontario) to a 2-point overtime loss would mean that we played fairly well. And there is some truth to that, as we matched or out-did Brock in virtually every statistical category, except for the number of shots taken (they took 10 more shots) and scored 27 points off of our 34 turnovers. The 34 turnovers is the story of the game. Double digit rebounding by Sydney Kernahan (12) and Christine Wallace (11) helped us out-rebound Brock 54-32, which kept us in the game. Brock lead 20-13 after the first quarter, but we battled back holding them to 5 points in the second while scoring 11 to trail 25-24 at the half, despite 23 first half turnovers. Brock surged ahead in the third, outscoring us 25-22, followed by a 14-10 fourth quarter in our favour to leave us deadlocked at 60 at the end of regulation. Brock’s posts did the damage in overtime outscoring us 11-9 to finish with the 71-69 final.

Brittany Moore poured in another 21 points, while Sydney Kernahan added 10 points to go along with her 12 boards. Jenny Wright also hit double digits with 10 points and 6 boards. Christine Wallace grabbed 11 boards.

Reminder: Queen’s ID/Training camp is just over a week away. Sunday, December 11th we will be on the court from 9:30-12n and 1:30-3:30pm. In between the on-court sessions, we will tour the Athletics & Recreation Centre and have a question and answer session for players and parents. Players in Grades 10-12, with a possible interest in Q’s are invited to attend. There is no cost – just drop me an email so I can prepare for the numbers.

Up Next on the Road:
Friday, December 2 @ Western 6pm
Saturday, December 3 @ Windsor 6pm

Have a great week.

Dave.

Women's Basketball - Game Report

Hi Folks,

Not exactly the weekend we were looking for, losing to Laurier 80-60 before beating Waterloo 83-52.

We came out very flat against Laurier, seeming unfocused and certainly lacking precision and intensity. Laurier, on the other hand came out flying, executing and hitting their shots, shredding our defence. We trailed 20-15 after the first and 44-32 at half. After going down 20 partway through the third quarter, we did mount a run to bring it back to 9, but that was as close as we would get. Laurier went on to outscore us 16-11 in the third and 20-17 in the fourth to finish with the 80-60 win.

Brittany Moore was our only player in double figures scoring with 14 points. Sydney Kernahan had a very solid game on the boards, contributing 8 points, and bringing energy to an otherwise lackluster performance.

Link to Q’s Sports Article: http://www.gogaelsgo.com/news/2011/11/18/WBB_1118111728.aspx?path=wbball

Energy and focus would be a good description for how we started the game against Waterloo. It was clear the players were unhappy about their previous evening’s performance. Two minutes into the game and we are up 12-0, as our defence was solid, allowing us to run in transition. The quarter ended with us up 27-15 as a late quarter lapse in concentration led to a few Waterloo hoops. Refocused for the second quarter, we dominated with a 24-9 point outburst to go into half 51-24. We continued the solid play, albeit at a slightly slower pace in the third, outscoring Waterloo 16-9, before being outscored in the fourth, 16-19 to finish with the 83-52 win.

All 11 players dressed (Liz Boag was out with a mild concussion sustained the previous evening) scored in the game with Brittany Moore tallying 24 in only 20 minutes of playing time. Lisa Minutillo dropped 12 points on 5-7 shooting.

Link to Q’s Sports Article: http://www.gogaelsgo.com/news/2011/11/19/nov19wball.aspx?path=wbball

OFSAA (High School Provincial Basketball Championships) come to Kingston (AAA) and Brockville (AA) this Thursday to Saturday. Queen’s will be hosting a number of games including the AAA finals on Saturday. Should be some great basketball in the two cities.

The ID/Training Camp scheduled for December 11th is shaping up quite nicely. It is designed for players in Grades 10-12 that may have an interest in Q’s down the road. There will be two on-court sessions (9:30-12n & 1:30-3:30pm), along with a Facility Tour and Questions & Answer session over the lunch break. There is no cost to attend, please just drop me an email so I can plan for the numbers.

Up Next at Home:
Friday, November 25 vs. McMaster @ 6pm
Saturday, November 26 vs. Brock @ 6:30pm (note later start time to accommodate OFSAA)

Up Next on the Road:
Friday, December 2 vs. Western @ 6:00pm
Saturday, December 3 vs. Windsor @ 6:00pm

Have a great week!

Dave.

Women's Basketball - Game Report

Hi Folks,

Our first weekend of league play was quite successful as we beat Lakehead 57-44 and Guelph 83-77 in overtime.

We had a decent start to the Lakehead game, grabbing a 13-9 first quarter lead. We built on that lead in the second outscoring Lakehead 15-11 to take an 8 point lead into half time, 28-20. Lakehead came out in a box & 1 defence in the second half to try and shake things up. Liz Boag responded by draining a two point jumper and two 3-pointers for a quick 8 points. Before 2 ½ minutes had elapsed, our lead had ballooned to 22 points and Lakehead had burned two timeouts. We outscored our opposition 24-11 in the third effectively sealing the game. The fourth quarter was nothing to write home about as our offense struggled badly only tallying 5 points to Lakehead’s 13, leaving us with the 57-44 victory.

Brittany Moore was high scorer with 13 points – the only Q’s player to hit double digits. Paige Robinson was name Player of the Game for her defensive efforts, along with her 9 points.

Against Guelph we had a very good start to the game opening up an 8 point lead, 20-12, after the first quarter. The tables turned in the second as Guelph outscored us 20-11 to take a 1point half time lead, 32-31. We started the third quarter well on offence, although we could not contain Guelph’s offence. We outscored Guelph 20-19 in the third to head into the fourth quarter tied at 51. The fourth quarter resolved nothing as we each added 15 points to the board. Heading into overtime, Guelph started with an inbound pass from centre court which Brittany Moore deflected, grabbed and raced for a lay up to give us the early lead. In the next few minutes, Moore would hit back to back to back 3 point shots, for a total of 11 points in the overtime as we outscored Guelph 17-11 in the five minute frame to win 83-77. While this was happening, Moore was also assigned to shut down Guelph’s leading perimeter shooter, preventing her from getting untracked in the overtime.

Moore finished the night with 26 points and was named Player of the Game. Liz Boag continued her outstanding play with 14 points and 5 assists, while Christine Wallace added 11 points and 6 boards. Sydney Kernahan also hit double digits with 13 rebounds to go along with her 8 points.

Up Next on the Road:
Friday, November 18 @ Wilfrid Laurier @ 6pm
Saturday, November 19 @ Waterloo @ 6pm

Up Next at Home:
Friday, November 25 vs. McMaster @ 6pm
Saturday, November 26 vs. Brock at 6:30pm (note late start)

High School/Club Players Interested in Queen’s: The Annual Winter ID/Training Camp is set for Sunday, December 11 from 9:30am to 3:30pm. The day will include 2 on-court sessions with the Queen’s Coaching Staff, a tour of the Athletic & Recreation Centre and a Q&A session in regards to playing at Queen’s, admissions, and campus life. Ideally suited for students in grades 10 to 12. Parents are welcome to watch the on-court sessions, join the tour and the Q&A session. There is no cost to attend, just drop me an email so I can prepare for the numbers.

Have a great week!

Dave.

2011-2012 Season is well underway!

Hey Gaels fans!

The 2011-2012 season is well underway and we are very excited with the start we've had!

The exhibition season was one of our busiest ever - playing tournaments in Montreal and Ottawa as well as individual games against McGill, Colgate and Team China. While busy and challenging, those games prepared us well for the start of another tough OUA season. There is incredible parity in the league this year - every opponent is good and you need to be ready each game.

As such, we could not be happier with our 7-2 start. We have 8 more games before the Christmas break and each will provide a unique challenge.

I should also mention that the team went on a weekend retreat near Peterborough in early October. Camp facilitator Larry Pearson was amazing and despite the cold and rain, the team had a great time!

We are also excited for our upcoming Alumni dinner and silent auction, which will take place on November 26th. Please contact me if you'd like to know more details.

In addition, we have once again partnered up with the local girl's minor hockey association (Kingston Ice Wolves). That partnership will include a clinic on November 25th and a special Minor Hockey day on November 26th.

Finally, we are extremely happy to see the other Gaels teams succeeding on the field of play. Its been a great Fall season thus far and we're looking forward to more success in the Winter term!

Take care,

Matt

Women's Basketball - Game Reports

Hi Folks,

Another successful weekend to report as we downed Nazareth College of Rochester, NY 57-48 and SUNY Geneseo of Geneseo, NY 66-55.

Playing again this weekend without captain, Brittany Moore (resting an aggravated knee), the rest of the team stepped up and performed quite well. While we outsized Nazareth, they had good team speed and were a perimeter shooting threat. In reality, neither team shot the ball well, contributing to the low score. We led 26-21 at half as we adjusted to playing American rules (20min. halves). We came out in the second half and opened a double digit lead, only to have Nazareth storm back to bring the game within 2, 44-42. We weathered the storm and finished the game on a 13-6 run to finish with the 57-48 win. Rookie, Jenny Wright got untracked with 19 points – the only Q’s player with double digits in scoring. Christine Wallace, however, had 11 rebounds and 9 points, and Sydney Kernahan had 10 boards.

The start of Saturday’s game was not one for the scrapbook. Geneseo got off to a quick start and led 10-0 after 5 min. Over the next 5 minutes we only managed 4 points and trailed 14-4 half way through the first half. The next 10 minutes held no resemblance to the first 10 as we stepped up our defense and started pushing the ball in transition. We added 28 points in that time and surrendered 8, to lead at half 32-22. We traded baskets for the first part of the second half – then Geneseo made their run and reduced our lead to 5, 55-50 with 5 minutes to play. We finished the game with an 11-5 run to win 66-55. Liz Boag finished with a game high 18 points (including 4-7 from beyond the arc). Jenny Wright hit double digits for the second consecutive night with 11 points, 5 boards and 4 assists. All of our perimeter players hit a 3 point shot in the game as we went 10 for 29 from downtown.

That concludes our fall exhibition schedule. The next four weekends will see us play the 8 Ontario West teams for league play.

Up Next at Home:
Friday, November 11 vs. Lakehead 6pm
Saturday, November 12 vs. Guelph 6pm

Up Next on the Road:
Friday, November 18 @ Laurier 6pm
Saturday, November 19 @ Waterloo 6pm

Have a great week.

Dave.

Women's Basketball - Game Report

Hi Folks,

Just one game to report on from the weekend, and unfortunately it was our first home loss. Concordia handed us a 64-56 defeat, marking our lowest point production to-date. The fast pace was much to our liking in the first half and although we trailed 19-17 after one quarter, we began to wear Concordia down in the second, outscoring them 15-9 to go into half time with a 4 point lead.

Concordia, however, managed to grind the game down to a much slower pace in the second half. The third quarter, the lowest point output of the season, saw us outscored 13-5. The fourth quarter produced much more scoring (with a correspondingly high number of turnovers on our behalf) leaving us down another 4 points (23-19) and the 64-56 defeat.

Hanna Koposhynska had another solid game with 13 points and 9 boards. Paige Robinson was the only other Q’s player with double digits with 11 points, but Christine Wallace did have 9 boards to go along with her 8 points.

Link to Q’s SID report: http://www.gogaelsgo.com/news/2011/10/29/WBB_1029115509.aspx?path=wbball

Up Next on the Road:
Friday, November 4 @ 6pm vs. Nazareth College (Rochester, NY)
Saturday, November 5 @ 2pm vs. Geneseo College (Geneseo, NY)

Up Next at Home (start of league play):
Friday, November 11 @ 6pm vs. Lakehead University
Saturday, November 12 @ 6pm vs. Guelph University

The Globe and Mail recently released their annual rankings for Canadian Universities. I am pleased to report that Queen’s ranked 1st in the country for a medium-sized (enrolment) university. Here’s a link to the Q’s press release: http://www.queensu.ca/news/articles/queens-first-class-globe-and-mail-university-rankings

We will, once again, be hosting our ID/Training Camp for high school players in grades 10-12 interested in playing basketball at the CIS level and who also have an interest in Queen’s. Details below:

Sunday, December 11
9:30 – 12:00n On-court
12:00n Break for Lunch
12:30pm Athletic Centre Tour & Question and Answer session (parent’s welcome)
1:30 – 3:30pm On-court

There is no cost to attend, but please drop me an email, so I have an idea of numbers.

Have a great week.

Dave.

Women's Basketball - Game Reports

Hi Folks,

Pretty successful weekend as we captured our own Tindall Tournament Championship for the second consecutive year – this time with a perfect 3-0 record.

We opened with an 80-70 win over Dalhousie thanks to some outstanding shooting: 54% from the floor and 52% from beyond the 3-point line (11-21). We lead by three after the first quarter, 18-15 and pushed the lead to 5 by half, following a 24-22 second quarter. We came out very flat in the third and were outscored 20-12 to trail by 3 heading into the fourth. Outscoring Dal, 26-13 over the final 10 minutes secured the 80-70 win.

Brittany Moore showed why she is the all-time leading scorer at Queen’s pouring in 27 points including 5-10 from beyond the arc, and was named Player of the Game. Hanna Koposhynska continues to play well with 12 points and 6 boards, while rookie Jenny Wright had another double digit game with 11 points to go along with her 4 rebounds.

Saturday we faced our provincial rivals, Guelph. A slow start left us trailing by 5 after the first, 15-10 (in what would turn out to be our lowest scoring quarter of the tournament). We found our stride in the second quarter dropping 24 to Guelph’s 15, to lead by 4 at the half. Guelph cut the lead to 2 with a 15-13 third quarter, but our fourth quarter continued to be fruitful as we outscored Guelph 25-18 for the 72-63 win.

Five players hit double digits (all 10 dressed players scored and collected a rebound), with Brittany Moore, once again, leading the way with 15. Hanna Koposhynska (Player of the Game) added 14 points, 8 boards, while Liz Boag continued her solid play at point guard with 11 points and 3 assists. Paige Robinson had 10 points, as did Jenny Wright, to go along with her 6 boards.

Sunday we faced the University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM). Last Sunday we had a very flat start against U of T, so avoiding this was a point of emphasis for this third game in three days. The players responded very well, racking up a 20-15 first quarter lead. UQAM continued to press in the ¾ court and play a 3-2 zone in the ¼ court, but we continued to build on our lead with a 16-12 second quarter. We came out flat in the third quarter as UQUAM went on a run to close the gap to 3. But that was as close as they would get as we would stretch it back to 7 at the end of the third. Again, strong in the fourth, we outscored them, 17-10 to finish with a 72-58 win.

Brittany Moore dropped 17 to lead all scorers, while Liz Boag added 12 points and 8 boards. Rookie, Jillian Siemieniuk was named Player of the Game with 10 points, 4 boards and 4 steals.

Liz Boag was named to the Tournament All-Star team, while Brittany Moore was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.

SID game reports can be found at:
http://www.gogaelsgo.com/index.aspx?path=wbball&tab=basketball(w)

Up Next at Home:
Saturday, October 29 vs Concordia 6pm

Up Next on the Road:
Friday, November 4 @ Nazareth College (Rochester, NY) @ 6pm
Saturday, November 5 @ GENESEO College (Geneseo, NY) @ 2pm

Have a great week.

Dave.

Closing the Books on the Preseason

The preseason has come to a close. 11 matches. Not a lot of wins, but if this year's preseason was just about wins and losses, we would have set up an entirely different schedule. This year is about playing the highest level teams we possibly can, so as to best prepare ourselves for the CIS tournament at the end of the year.

There are lots of reasons to be pleased, and a few reasons to be concerned as well. In the positive column, we have gotten better every time we have played, and that is our job and our mission. Many of our rookies have seen far more playing time that we (or they) might have expected and that is also a plus. All of them have shown great composure in matches and are ready to contribute as needed.

Injuries continue to play a role in our team, and are just part of our reality at this point, so no excuses for our performances. The guys who are on the floor know they need to step up and get it done. In Calgary, both Matt Taylor and Will Sidgwick performed at a new level and splitting rightside duties, Mike Tomlinson and Phil Goyer both held their own.

In terms of injuries, here is a status report for those of you who are following us closely:
Joren Zeeman - ankle sprain is almost better and he should be back next week.
Bryan Fautley - vertebrae is healing well and he is beginning physio - on schedule.
Dan Rosenbaum - is in therapy with a firm diagnosis and is optimistic for second half.
Niko Rukavina - sees the surgeon this week and will continue to play defense until he is cleared to jump.

So we continue to juggle the balls and are grateful for a large and deep team. As we enter league this week we will look forward to continued growth and progress in our game. We have taken a couple rest days, since arriving back in the middle of the night from Calgary (thanks to the 401 being closed for an 'unscheduled collision' (as per the MTO site).

First up is RMC, here at home, this Friday night at 8pm. Come celebrate Halloween with us as we take on the cross-town boys. Then we open November with games at Windsor (Friday the 4th at 8pm) and Western (Saturday the 5th at 8pm).

Come out and support the Gaels!

Women's Basketball - Game Report

Hi Folks,

Our first road trip of the season saw us finish 1-2 in the Bishop's Invitational Tournament. We have made significant improvements since our RMC outing, but with lots of things to work on as well. I am generally quite pleased with the direction this team is going -- should make for an interesting season.

Q’s 74 vs. Bishop’s 64
Our first game in almost a month and it showed. Bishop’s lit us up early and often – we looked like deer in headlights and were down 12-4. But that was only the first 5 minutes. Then we began to settle down and find our rhythm finishing the quarter on a 10-3 run. The pace of the game was very fast – not something from which we will shy away. Having 11 players in our line up (more than all last year) allows us to go 11 deep. We outscored Bishop’s 18-14 in the second quarter to go into half time with a 3 point lead, 32-29. Our shooting stats were mediocre to poor, but our rebounding (including our offensive rebounding) was solid. We continued to improve through the second, making better shot selections (primarily due to better offensive movement), consequently improving our shooting percentages. We outscored Bishop’s 20-15 in the third and 22-20 in fourth to finish with a 74-64 win.
Brittany Moore led the way with 24 points, including a perfect 11 for 11 from the foul line. Paige Robinson had an excellent all round game with 19 points and a Player of the Game selection. Liz Boag continued her solid play with 14 points, 3 assists and 8 rebounds.

Q’s 62 vs. Montreal Dynamo 67
We played this Senior Women’s team last year and were schooled – a very talented, savvy group of ex-CIS All-Stars, All-Canadians and National team members. We came out, however, with what I will call attitude. Something oppositions are generally not pleased to face, but as a coach, it reminded me of some earlier Q’s teams that were very successful! We finished the first quarter with a 21-19 lead, thanks to some very good perimeter shooting and aggressive defence that led to many turnovers. The second quarter was not quite as quick as the first, but still as intense. We outscored the Dynamo 18-13 to lead 39-32 at the half. Our scoring dropped significantly in the second half, primarily due to the Dynamo changing to a zone defense for the entire half. While we have instituted a zone offense in practise, we have spent little time on it and the reads required to exploit the defense. Moving forward, our zone attack will develop and improve greatly. We were outscored 18-9 in the third and 17-14 in the fourth to finish down, 67-62. Four players however, finished in double figures with Hanna Koposhynska leading the way with 12 (along with 5 boards). Jenny Wright (4 assists, 6 boards), Lisa Minutillo (6 boards), and Rachael Urosevic each had 10 points, with Minutillo being named Player of the Game.

Q’s 62 vs. Toronto 69
The intensity and focus of the previous game was sadly lacking as U of T controlled the tempo and flow of the game from the opening tip. Playing in a tentative and reactive mode left us trailing 18-11 after one quarter, and 38-22 at the half. We did open the third quarter with a much more spirited effort to close to within 7, before slipping back to a 14 point spread at the end of the third. We continued to battle, however, closing to within 5 with 2 minutes to go. The final ended up 7, at 69-62. Jenny Wright and Lisa Minutillo each had 14 points (Wright named Player of the Game), while Hanna Koposhynska added 10 points and 6 boards, and was named to the Tournament All-Star Team.
We accomplished many things in the tournament, not the least of which is the identification of the areas needing improvement.

Up Next at Home:

Tindall Tournament

Friday, October 21
6:00pm Queen’s vs. Dalhousie
8:00pm Guelph vs. UQAM

Saturday, October 22
6:00pm Queen’s vs. Guelph
8:00pm UQAM vs. Dalhousie

Sunday, October 23
12:00n Dalhousie vs. Guelph
2:00pm Queen’s vs. UQAM

Have a great week.
Dave.

Pre-season Begins

It's that time of year when the team is now selected and getting to know each other both on the court and off becomes a priority. This year we took a different approach to both of these goals and each has turned out to be very rewarding, a lot of fun and educational.

First off the court we had a team scavenger hunt, the team was broken down into small groups - with a vet or two combined with rookies. Did I mention that we have 12 rookies this season. Wow! I've never coached a team this young before but their enthusiasm will make up for their experience I'm sure. So our rookies currently out number our vets - one of the vets made a joke about it being a whole team something I honestly didn't even think about. But she's right in fact I think I may have more rookies than some OUA teams have players right now. Oy Vey!

Back to the scavenger hunt - we did all kinds of stuff to get to know Kingston better like ride the trolley, find art deco pieces along the Waterfront trail, find Frontenac memorabilia and hang upside down on the monkey bars. For some that experience was a first. Overall a great time was had by all and it finished with the team going to watch the football team beat Laurier. Go Gaels!

On the court we attended the University of Montreal tournament this past weekend. Usually this is a tournament where we get to see how the old blend with the new, but not this weekend. With vets recovering from injuries it turned out to be a weekend the rookies I'm sure will never forget. They all got an early taste of the speed, power and competitive nature of CIS volleyball. They learned early that the mistakes you can overcome in high school and club will cost you a close set and eventually a match. These are lessons that often it takes years to teach and they all learned it in one weekend. It was risky playing all rookies as we could have been badly beaten every single set but instead we were in each game. In fact a couple of matches had us leading by 4-5 to start.

I was really happy with what the youngsters had to show and it bodes well for this program's future. Now I just have to see what the vets are able to bring to the table to get an idea of where we stand as a team this year. This upcoming weekend we head to Ottawa. All the vets but two will be able to play so I look forward to combining the two groups this weekend.

Hope you are having an excellent day and when you get a chance don't forget to support the women's volleyball program. You can do so by clicking on the following link: www.givetoqueens.ca/w-volleyball

Talk soon,

Joely

Women's Basketball - Game Report

Hi Folks,

Our first “game report” newsletter of the season – an 86-60 win over RMC.

We hosted our Alumni on the weekend, which included an Alumni game (great battle ending with a one-point game), an exhibition game with cross-town rivals, the RMC Paladins and a post-game reception and Silent Auction.

The players have been anxiously awaiting the opportunity to don the gold jerseys after of long summer of training. The work they put in over the summer was quite evident as players were noticeably stronger, fitted and better skilled. We had early success in the game, picking up in the full court and forcing many turnovers. This led to many transition points allowing us to rack up 33 first quarter points. However, we did surrender 16 points – not a favourable number. The second quarter points slowed considerably on both sides, with Q’s holding an 18-7 advantage. With the comfortable lead, we began to explore other aspects of our defence, only to find out that much work needs to be done. Certainly, we know where our focus will be over the next few weeks. (Q’s Sports Info report below)

Assistant Coach, Bob Freeman did an excellent job of spearheading our post game reception and Silent Auction. Parents, Peggy Reid, Dianne Wright and Jan Patterson did an outstanding job of setting up the Alumni Lounge for the event and helping with all the details. While I do not have the final tally of the funds raised, I do know we raised in the multiple thousands of dollars meaning we will be able to pay off the rest of the $8,000 shooting machine, contribute to our Athletic Financial Awards (Athletic Scholarships), and support some out-of-province travel. Thank you to everyone who provided the auction items and supported us with their bids.

Also at the reception, former/current players had the opportunity to recognize five past coaches of our program: Janet Sanderson, Sam Miller, Jennifer Robertson-Wilson, Tim Orpin and Adam Lynn. It was clear from the presentations that each played a significant role in the lives of the players who played for them. Our program will be forever indebted to them for the contributions they made (and continue to make).

Quick Update: Join our Queen’s University Women’s Basketball page on Facebook, and follow me on Twitter @ CoachDaveWilson

Up Next on the Road:

Bishop’s University Tournament:

Friday, October 14 @ Bishop’s 8pm

Saturday, October 15 vs. Quebec Dynamo 6pm (@ Bishop’s)

Sunday, October 16 vs. Toronto 11am (@ Bishop’s)

Enjoy the great fall weather (at least in our neck of the woods).

Dave.

Gaels win vs York Lions

Hi folks,

Playing against the elements yesterday we were able to pull out a big win that started with our defence and aggressiveness to the ball. This area has been an area of strength for us in the past and it was good to see the players return to form against York last night.

Big thanks go to Jeff Chan for coming out and taking photos of the team even in less-than-stellar lighting conditions. Thanks, Jeff! It's great to see you covering all the Gaels sports so well! On that note, there have been several photographers who have been taking on our home games this year and sharing their work with the team. Thanks to Greg Black, Michael Parkinson and my aunt, Anne Potter, for not coming out but also for making an effort to learn the game in order to take great photos.

It was also great to see many of our alumni out at the game yesterday - I know I'm going to forget a few people here, please forgive me, but - it was wonderful to see Dr. Paige Churchill, Brenna Dickison, Sarah Moussadji and Lisa Burnside out as well as Dani Maidany, Kait Pasic and Jocelyn Poirier.

We'll look forward to a week of focussed, hard work in our preparation for McMaster next weekend. I'm sure many of our team will also be out supporting the men's team today as they play the Marauders today as well.

All the best,
Beth

What I learned from my experience this summer

Well it's been just about a month since I returned from adventures with the FISU Games Team and I have tried to use that time to really put my experiences in perspective. I have learned so much from this summer and gained so much largely because I was open to what the experience could possibly teach me. Afterall, it's not every day you work with some of the top athletes in the CIS let alone the player of the year. Add to that being mentored by two coaches whose programs have consistently been in the top 10 over the past couple of years and I knew that I'd come out of the summer having gained a wealth of knowledge. Now it's up to me to filter all that I learned and use what is appropriate to the current team. So much from the summer would have been awesome with my team last year because they were seasoned vets, I didn't have to start from scratch. Now it's about slowly teaching this new class of athletes what the Gaels volleyball program is about while taking some of the most important pieces from the summer puzzle and applying them here. Some of the lessons were personal, but most were volleyball related so I will share the volleyball lessons with you here.

So without further ado some of the lessons I took away from the summer were:

1. Midline, midline, midline - the best in the world work hard to pass balls in their midline, they shuffle and get their bodies behind the ball by understanding their space and knowing what their strengths are for movement - do I move faster forward or back, right to left or vice versa - this sets up how they stand on serve receive so that they can play to their strengths first. They use their arms only when they need to angle balls that are outside their midline.

2. A great player is a great player regardless of size. Brazil won with a 5'10" OH who had a fantastic arm swing and could hit any angle she wanted. She dominated the match. The same went for the 5'10" OH who played for China in the Gold medal match - also very dominant.

3. Jump float serves are performed by 90% of the teams now. Very few spin servers were seen and those who did spin had an alarming accuracy in respect to where they could place the ball.

4. Ball control and the execution of a solid pass is vital to success - every one of the teams in the top 4 had exceptional ball control. Almost every serve receive or defensive pass were perfect and every freeball was perfect so that they could run their offense.

5. Setters come with all different techniques, but the one that I really liked was the fast release using the wrists and hands instead of the arms to get the ball to the antenna. It takes a lot of training and time but the setters that used that method showed greater efficiency overall.

Well, that's my top 5 volleyball related lessons. I'm really glad I had the opportunity to be a part of the FISU program this summer and look forward to applying what I've learned with the team here at Queen's.

Inaugural game at New Turf Field

Today the Women's Gaels have the opportunity to play the inaugural game at the New Turf Field at West Campus. We had our weekly pre-game run through on the field last night and the players had a chance to see the field and envision the game set up for tomorrow's 4:30pm kickoff.

Last week was a good start for the team with a 38-22 win over the Trent Excalibur. We hope to continue this winning note as we work a few more players into the starting and dressing spots to create opportunities to see them play.

Hope to see you at the game - swing through after the Football Gaels finish their game against Laurier...

Cheers,
Beth

2-0 to start the season

We played a solid game vs. Trent University yesterday at Richardson Stadium to earn 3 points, and stay undefeated for the season. It has been a good start so far, but we need to make sure we continue to work hard, focus on the things that need improving, and build on our strengths. Defensively, we were solid, giving them very little time and space on the ball to get anything going. I'm pleased with the result, and more so at the fact that we didn't concede any goals. We now look ahead to RMC on Friday at Tindall Field at 5:45 p.m.

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank all the alumni who joined us this past weekend. For those who couldn't make it, I know you are following us online. I will continue to pass on your inspiring words to the team as you wish. The fan support was fantastic yesterday afternoon, with a turnout probably close to 100+. Lets build on this!

Until next time...

Coach Gencarelli

3 points at a time...

While we are extremely pleased with the victory at Carleton yesterday, this is only 3 points of hopefully many this season. We need to keep our feet on the ground, and our heads on straight to prepare for a well-coached and organized Trent Excalibur visiting Richardson Stadium on Sunday at 3:15 p.m.

I give credit to Carleton. They were organized and strong defensively. We scored an early goal, which really lifted the boys to a new level, and they maintained a high level of play throughout the match. We played strong defensively across the pitch. Everyone bought into their defensive roles, and as a result, we were prepared to win first and second balls. We played with a level of determination and resiliency that can really be the identity of this team this season. We sacrificed ourselves, for the benefit of the team, and in doing so, were able to come home with a 2-0 victory. The full game report can be viewed at www.gogaelsgo.com/soccer-m.

Our next game is our home opener on Sunday vs. Trent University at 3:15 p.m. Homecoming takes place on Saturday, and we're looking forward to hosting our alumni that evening. Assistant Coach Mike Zanetti will be sending out an email shortly with event information and an itinerary for the day. We're hoping all of you can stick around and support the boys from the stands on Sunday!

Thank you for your continued support, and I look forward to seeing many of you on Saturday.

Coach Gencarelli

Season opener two days away

Hello Men's Soccer Gaels supporters,

As I'm sure you are all aware, we are days away from our season opener vs. Carleton Ravens in Ottawa. To say there is excitement in the air is an understatement. One of our goals this year is to have a better start to the season than we did last year (in which we started 1-2-1 in our first 4 games). Carleton is coming off two impressive victories against Ryerson and U of Toronto in Toronto, so I'm sure their confidence is at an all time high. We must bring the same confidence into this match, as the Queen's - Carleton rivalry is as strong as ever.

Playing Carleton away from home is always a true test to see where we're at with respect to the OUA's elite. The same can be said this year, and I'm hoping we find the result we're looking for.

3 points at a time...

Coach Gencarelli

Exhibition Season Opens

Hello Gaels followers!

We are 3.5 hours away from kickoff for our first exhibition game vs Concordia University. Come join us at Tindall Field to see a great, early-season match up.

Next exhibition is on Saturday, Sept 3 at 1pm vs McGill University. This will lead up to our first OUA league game of the season which will also be at Tindall Field on Sept 10th. The Queen's women will kickoff at 1pm vs Trent and the Queen's men will kickoff at 3pm vs the University of Toronto Blues.

Cheers,
Beth

Women's Basketball Update

Hi Folks,

I realize this letter is long overdue. We have undergone a number of technology changes in the Basketball Office, including a new laptop, new software, new email client and more, providing some challenges in getting email names and addresses sorted out. To that end, you may be receiving this email in error, for which I apologize. Please clink on the link at the bottom of the page to have your email address removed from the list. Others that normally receive these newsletters may be accidentally excluded. If you are talking with Alumni/friends, etc. and they did not receive this email, please have them contact me and I will have their email address added.

Alumni Weekend

Saturday, September 24^th is the day to make it to Kingston. Here is how the day is shaping up:

2:00pm Alumni vs. Alumni game (free admission)

4:00pm Queen’s vs. RMC (get an early peek at the 2011-12 Gaels in action)(free admission)

6:00pm Cocktail Reception and Silent Auction – Alumni Lounge ($20 includes complimentary appetizers)

During the Cocktail Reception, we will be recognizing five outstanding “retired” coaches that worked with our women’s program for 5 years or more:

Tim Orpin (1986-2009)

Janet Sanderson (nee Swords) (1992-2001)

Sam Miller (1999-2004)

Jennifer Roberston-Wilson (2001-2005)

Adam Lynn (2004-2011)

We will also be hosting a Silent Auction to help raise funds for our program, so please bring your checkbook and get in some early holiday shopping!

Everyone is welcome to join in all or part of the day. Please go to the registration site so that we have an idea of numbers for each of the events: www.events.queensu.ca/womensbball

Coaching Staff

Bob Freeman returns for his second season with our program. Having observed and analysed his first season, he has been busy working with the players over the summer to better prepare us for the upcoming season. Bob has over 30 years of coaching experience at both the high school and club level, with great success.

Sarah Barnes becomes the first full-time (athletic staff) assistant coach for the women’s basketball program. Sarah was a former Laurier player, before transferring to Queen’s to complete her degrees and playing career. She finished as an OUA All-Star and stayed on at Queen’s to complete her Master’s Degree. Most recently she has been working in Toronto and coaching in the Toronto Triple Threat program, and has just returned from Chile, where she served as the manager for Canada Basketball’s U19 team. She brings a wealth of knowledge and practical experience and is a very impressive addition to our coaching staff.

Frosh Week (Orientation Week)

First year students will be flocking to Queen’s this weekend (Labour Day) to get settled into their dorms and get oriented to the campus. On the basketball front, we will be holding open scrimmages (all welcome) on Tuesday & Thursday, September 6 & 8 from 2:30 to 4:00pm (Upper Gym). On Monday, September 12 from 5:30 to 7:30pm we will conduct an open tryout in the Main Gym.

Schedules

Our schedule is set for the year and available on our web site at: http://www.gogaelsgo.com/index.aspx?path=wbball&tab=basketball(w)

Of special note (not shown on the schedule) is our “Tropical Training Camp.” The team will be training and competing in Puerto Rico during the Christmas Break. The training camp is intended to be an annual affair (location may vary) that allows the players to combine some serious training in a warm climate with some rest and rejuvenation. The players are very much looking forward to this addition to our training program.

The entire team is excited and anticipating great things for the coming season. Here we go……..

Cheers,

Dave.

Dave Wilson

Head Coach, Women's Basketball

Office 404 K

Athletics & Recreation Centre

Queen's University

284 Earl Street

Kingston, Ontario K7L 2H8

613-533-6317 phone

613-533-6324 fax

dave.wilson@queensu.ca

www.queensbasketball.net

Register for the Alumni & Friends Reception (September 24^th): www.events.queensu.ca/womensbball

Donate to Women's Basketball at: www.givetoqueens.ca/womensbasketball

Celebrating 100 Years of Tradition and Success (1910-2010)

And So It Begins

As I sit here planning for the annual selection process for men's volleyball, I can't help but get a bit nostalgic. I also can't believe it is my 25th season! The years have flown by, and while one might think it gets easier with time, I can assure you, the tryout process is never easy.

You would think that with 13 returning players and a solid handful of recruited rookies, we would be set and everything would be straight forward. Ahh, if it were only that easy! We have several players who are managing injuries and are 'uncertain' at this point. We are optimistic that when it really matters they will be in the mix and ready to challenge, but only time will tell. We also have a few players who have been going really hard all summer. Joren Zeeman spent almost 4 months doing 2-a-day sessions with the FISU team. It certainly paid off, as his team earned a 4th place finish in those games. Will Sidgwick is away at the U21 World Beach Championships right now and has put up some fantastic results all summer long.
In-coming rookie, Aaron Nusbaum has also been going hard on the sand - earning a bronze medal in the U19 World Championships. All three of these athletes will need a recovery period in the early fall.

I have always believed that one person's struggles are another person's opportunity - that good comes from bad - and with that in mind - our focus will be twofold, in the next 4-6 weeks.

First, we will pick the team. Some think this is a formality at this level, but believe me it isn't. It is something I lose sleep over, every year. My assistant coaches (Greg Stevenson and Gabriel DeGroot) and I will meet endlessly to talk about selections and more traumatically, cuts!

I hate closing doors for people; but there are only so many spots within the program. The veterans have to come back in great shape and ready to be put to the test. The old adage 'you can't be a good rookie in third year' rings true. The bar rises as one progresses through the ranks in seniority. Over the years, there have been some huge surprises in walk-ons and some occasional disappointments in returnees. I remember back in the late 90s, Mike Hartel walked on and ended up competing in the World University Games several years later. More recently, Chris Vandyk showed up in tryouts after a year of Lacrosse and we ultimately won an OUA Championship with him as a main middle for us. That is what the tryout process is. Five days to put it out there and earn your way into the squad, for what poses to be a very exciting year.

Our second focus is around building the base - with several new players there will be lots of work to do in creating a foundation of excellence. Supplementary training to bridge the gap between the rookies and the 4th-5th year crew is a priority. The other piece of that, of course, is to ensure that there is no gap, in terms of team. Strong leadership and a commitment to being one unit, regardless of year or experience, will be a key ingredient in building the path to achieve our goals.

For those looking for information on tryouts, it is pretty simple: we start Tuesday - the day after labour day. September 6th - and every day that week at 5:30pm (Tuesday to Saturday inclusive).

Tuesday the 6th is an informal night - so you can come out and get your timing back and handle a ball without the stress of selections. It is also a good chance to check out the level and see whether you want to give it a shot, if you are uncertain.

Wednesday the 7th is the open tryout. One night to show what you can do - and earn and invitation to the rest of the process. Anyone new, who wants to have a shot MUST attend that evening - 5:30 to 7:30pm in the Practice Gym on Level 3 (top floor) of the ARC.

We expect the team to be named by Monday September 12th.

This time of year is exciting and stressful. I look forward to the 13th!

Welcome back and here we go again!

Brenda Wills
Head Coach, Men's Volleyball
Queen's Athletics and Recreation
284 Earl Street
Kingston, Ont
K7L 3N6
Off: 613 533-6289
Fax: 613 533-6324
www.gogaelsgo.com
Facebook: Queen's University Men's Volleyball
To Donate to the Men's Volleyball Team go to: www.givetoqueens.ca/m-volleyball
Home of the CIS Men's Volleyball Championships - March 2-4, 2012

FISU Summer for Women's Volleyball

Well I just arrived back from an amazing summer experience as a member of Team Canada's coaching staff for the National "B" Team Squad that competed at the 26th Summer Universiade Games held in Shenzhen, China. To tell you that the whole experience was awesome would probably sell so much of the summer short. But it was awesome and so much more.

I feel like everyday I learned something - whether it was about volleyball, about myself or about the characters of others around me I constantly felt like I had to be in a state of high awareness just to catch everything.

There were some really cool concepts that the Head Coach Alain Pelletier introduced that I will definately bring back to my program. Particularly looking at a having a young squad this season, I think the concepts we introduced to the team this summer may help us have less errors in crucial situations.

The other Assistant Coach Lee Carter has some great concepts around leadership that I have decided to introduce here as well. He has done some great work around team leadership with his university squad and he brought that forward to this team.

Me, well I became fondly known as "Big Momma" to the girls. It became my job to help bridge the gap between the coaching staff and the athletes. The girls talked, I listened then I sat down with the rest of the coaching staff to discuss. Regardless of what came out of our coaches meetings the girls all felt heard and respected and I believe that as a coaching staff we were ultimately pretty responsive.

Last but definately not least was our team therapist she kept us moving and ticking from day to day. Not to mention she was the most awesome roommate you could have when you are sharing a room in Thailand or China. I don't honestly know what I would have done without her there and I know without question the girls couldn't have survived the trip without her TLC.

From the start we got along as a coaching staff. There was no jockeying for position. We each knew how important our role was in making this team tick and accomplishing our goals for the summer. We each had the opportunity to voice our opinions and we had each other's backs forming a solid and cohesive coaching staff. Without question working with each of these individuals was an honour and so much fun.

So how did we do at the games? Well we finished in 11th place. But don't let the placing fool you. We were statistically one of the three youngest squads at the event and finished the highest of those squads. Several of the countries were using the FISU games as a preparation for 2012 Olympic qualifiers being held this fall and had sent their "A" teams in preparation.

For the top six teams in the tournament the vast majority of their squads were filled with the players that would make up their 2016 Olympic squads supported by one or two bench players for the 2012 Olympics. So 11th is pretty respectable and it qualifies us for the next FISU Games to be held in Russia.

I didn't get to see the girls play as much as I would have liked. As the third assistant my role was to scout other teams - which often meant being at a different venue while the team played. I always had the girls close in my heart though and one time called them towards the end of the fourth set vs. Sweden to see how we were doing. It was funny because I started to ask our interpreter how we were doing and she handed the phone to Lee on the bench. He was in total shock I'm sure but handled it like a champion. Anyway we were down but found a way to come back and win that set. I'd like to think my phone call gave them that little boost they needed.

So here we are let me introduce you to Team Canada "B" Squad:

But the FISU Summer is now over and I'm back at Queen's ready for the new season. We have some great athletes coming in this fall and I'm super excited to see our progress over the season.

In addition we have some fantastic returning players - Becky Billings is coming back after a summer spent with the Beach National Team and competition at the FISU Games too. She had a great summer and I know what she brings back to our program will help us grow faster this year. There is also the play of both Natalie Gray and Anna Pedjase to look forward to this season and I have no fear that the rest of the squad will also step up and let their voices be heard. It's an exciting time for us as we said goodbye to veterans last season and now open up opportunties to others.

I also have some additional good news - Colleen Ogilvie will be joining Team Canada at the Full Time Training Centre this fall. She had a terrific tryout for the team in May but needed more training time to be match ready. So for now we bid farewell to Colleen and wish her all the best as she starts to live out her dream as a member of the national team squad.

It has been some amazing kind of year for Queen's women's volleyball, it's been some years since we have had a presence at the National Team level and out of this past season we had two tryout for the indoor squad and one on the beach.

So thanks for reading and next time I'll write about the top 5 things I learned from competing at FISU.

See you soon,

Joely Christian-Macfarlane

Head Coach, Women's Volleyball

Athletics and Recreation Centre

284 Earl St.

Kingston, ON K7L 3N6

613-533-6000 ext. 79190

Donate to Women's Volleyball at: www.givetoqueens.ca/w-volleyball

We appreciate your support.

Training Camp

Hello Gaels fans!

Tomorrow is the first step in the 2011 season with tryouts and fitness testing. Can't wait to see everyone!

Looking forward to updating the blog...

All the best,
Beth

One week in...

Well, we're a week into camp and the team is beginning to take shape. With a new-found focus on possession play, there has been a lot of learning that has taken place over the course of a week, and still much more to go. It's the simple things that will make us stronger, and if we continue to focus on quality first touches, passing and receiving, and communication, we will be a team that will not only challenge for titles year in and year out, but will also be enjoyable to watch!

Competition is fierce this year, with another quality recruiting class joining us at camp. This will undoubtedly add to the quality of our team this year, but more importantly to the quality of our program moving forward. It's a testament to the hard work players have put into off-season training, and the coaches into recruiting.

We have a few big tests coming up to see where our team is in comparison to quality opposition, with exhibition games against Cornell University on Thursday, McGill on Saturday and either U of T or Western on Sunday (Old Four). Our preseason play comes to an end on Saturday, September 7th against the University of Ottawa on Tindall Field here at Queen's University.

I hope all who follow my blog are well, and sincerely hope you continue to follow us this season!

Until next time...

Coach Gencarelli

Women's Hockey - 2010 - 2011 season re-cap

Hello!

So I've decided to try my hand as a blogger! I thought that it would be a good start for our supporters, alumnae, friends and family to know a little bit more about this past year’s team and why we’re so excited to get started in September, 2011!

First I’d like to give you a quick look back. Last season built on the success of the previous one, and ultimately became one of the best and most historic years in Queen’s women’s hockey history. The team went a respectable 15-8-4 in the regular season, good enough for 4th place in the tough OUA conference. However, the best was saved for last. The Gaels first beat #10 nationally ranked Windsor 2-1 in very tough double overtime game in the quarter finals. That gave the team a date with nemesis, reigning 7 time OUA champions and #2 nationally ranked Laurier. A pair of stunning 2-1 overtime victories later and the team was on to its first OUA championship final in five years!

The first game (against #7 nationally ranked Guelph) turned out to be one for the record books. Literally! The game was won by the Gaels, again 2-1, but this time in the 6th overtime period! That nine period marathon is now listed as the second longest hockey game in history and jerseys, sticks and pucks from that event are going to be displayed in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Less than 48 hours later the teams were back at it again. This time Guelph got the jump and moved out to a 2-0 lead. However, the Gaels kept battling and brought the score to within one just before the end of the second period. A second goal half-way through the third period sent the team into yet another overtime. This time it was decided on a last second buzzer beater at the end of the first overtime and Queen’s had captured its first OUA championship in 32 years!

The OUA championship also secured a spot at the CIS national championship, another first for Queen’s women’s hockey. First up was defending champion and #3 nationally ranked Alberta. The Gaels continued their determined play and won another thriller, 2-1 in a shoot-out!

The next game was against #1 ranked McGill. Queen’s gave the Olympian-laden team all they could handle but ultimately fell short, losing 3-1.

That loss sent Queen’s to the bronze medal game against host and rival Laurier. In another close game, Queen’s earned the medal with a 1-0 win, scoring the winner with less than 2 minutes to go to cap off a magical and memorable season. Of note, McGill defeated St. FX in the championship game 5-2 to claim the national title.

On the ice, the team represented the school with energy, determination and excitement. They displayed remarkable character and never quit. Off the ice, the team was extremely close and it was clear that they savoured and loved every minute of it!

Without limiting the other accomplishments, some notable performances included:

- Kelsey Thomson finished second in the OUA in scoring and was a 1st team OUA all-star;
- Morgan McHaffie finished fifth in OUA scoring and was a 2nd team OUA all-star, Morgan also scored the goal to win the 9 period historic marathon game;
- Mel Dodd-Moher was in goal for every overtime win, including stopping over 65 shots in the 9 period marathon. Mel was also named the CIS championship tournament all-star goalie and named co-winner of the Performance of the Year award at the Queen’s Athletics Colour Awards ceremony;
- Kelsey Thomson and Becky Conroy each cracked the 100 point plateau in their careers, joining Liz Kench, who reached that mark last season; and

The team's success was further recognized when the OUA later honoured me as the Fox 40 male coach of the year.

The Gaels will look to continue the winning trend in 2011-2012. Despite the loss of some highly respected leaders, team-mates and friends, we are blessed to have key contributors to our playoff run returning, in addition to a strong incoming rookie class. However, eventhough there’s plenty of optimism for another great year, the league keeps getting better, and parity is now at an all-time high. I know that other teams have recruited well and are eager to show that they are ready to contest for a championship so we will need to be focused and prepared. There is no doubt that 2011-2012 will be another exciting season and I know that the coaching staff is looking forward to September!

I'll try to add some pictures over the next couple of weeks. Look for future posts where I'll discuss our exhibition plans, new uniforms, etc.

Until then, take care - I hope you are all enjoying your summer!

Coach Matt Holmberg

A little over a month away...

How quickly time flies. Training camp is fast approaching, and the entire coaching staff is hard at work to ensure everything is in place for a successful and competitive camp. We've finalized our 2011 recruiting class with the commitment of attacking midfielder Peter Christidis. For those of you who missed his press release, you can view it at www.gogaelsgo.com/soccer-m. Joining him are the following individuals (from defense to attack):

Player Name	Position	Club Team
Ben Fenech	Centre Back	Glen Shields S.C. (ONT)
Marco D’Elia	Right Full Back	Glen Shields S.C. (ONT)
Mark Tanel	Centre Back	Woodbridge Strikers (ONT)
Robert Lannan	Left Full Back	Valley United (NS)
Mario Rotundo	Left Full Back	St. Michael’s College (ONT)
Jeremy Gemuend	Def. Centre Midfielder	Niagara United CSL (ONT)
Henry Bloeman	Def. Centre Midfielder	Wexford Heat (ONT)
Simon Bussiere	Centre Midfielder	Whitby (ONT)
Michael Campea	Winger	Sigma Academy (ONT)
Chris Barran	Winger	North Shore Selects (BC)

Also joining us in camp is Jeff Borges (Centre Midfielder) from Kingston, ON, entering his second year at Queen's. With 11 recruits, 1 second year student, and 19 returning players, we will have a total of 31 players at training camp, making for yet another competitive training environment.

To say that there is excitement in the air is an understatement. 37 days... and counting.

Until next time.

Coach Gencarelli