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44 Sports Oakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 255) Fax 905-337-5567 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2007 FIRST-TIME CHAMPS: Left, Captain R. Wilson Breakers senior boys' volleyball captain Jordan Pitlivka (4) holds up the Halton elementary school Tier 1 championship banner while teammates and coaches look on Tuesday at Milton's E.C. Drury High School. Below, Raj Dharni delivers a spike over a Centennial opponent. The Breakers won their first Halton volleyball title in school history, defeating Centennial in a three-set final. PHOTOS BY MICHAEL IVANIN / SPECIAL TO THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Breakers break through to win first Halton volleyball title By Jon Kuiperij BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR Captain R. Wilson Public School's volleyball program has come a long way in a short time. Winless four years ago, when the school first opened, the Breakers broke through to win their first Halton elementary school volleyball championship Tuesday at E.C. Drury High School in Milton. Captain R. Wilson accomplished the feat in dramatic fashion, edging out Centennial in a three-set thriller. The Breakers faced match point in the decisive set, trailing 14-13 before rallying for three consecutive points and the Tier 1 boys' title. "We got a couple huge blocks from the guys in the front row (Cole Graves and Misha Radovanovic)," said Captain R. Wilson coach Drew Donaldson. "It really put them on fire and they were able to get those next three points." The 25-15, 21-25, 16-14 defeat of Centennial in the Halton final avenged the Breakers' loss to the Georgetown school ear- lier this season in the Provincial Cup tournament. Captain R. Wilson captain Jordan Pitlivka said his team made one major adjustment for its rematch with Centennial, and it paid off. "We had to take risks... not just keep volleying it over the net," said the 13-year-old, a skilled power hitter who accepted the setter's role from Donaldson this season. "If we spiked it over the net, we'd usually get a point, and if we got a good set, we'd usually get a good hit. We just kept persevering to do that." Donaldson highlighted the leadership of Pitlivka, the hitting of Graves and some clutch serving from Raj Dharni as major keys in the win. Despite not having any rep volleyball players at the school, Captain R. Wilson has shown steady improvement in its four years under Donaldson's tutorship. From their inaugural-year struggles, the Breakers went 3-8 in 2005 and were unbeaten in regular-season play last year before losing in the Central Division final. "It's hugely gratifying," said Donaldson, a former assistant coach of the McMaster Marauders men's team. "From the start, (kids) work hard at making sure their ball contacts are smooth and they're using proper technique. When they get a lot of repetitions, they get really good at those basic skills." Also contributing to the Breakers' success this year were Matthew Dingwall, Roshan Jeyakumaran, Justin Harrigan, Marco Folino, Zdravko Ivankovic, Onkar Bedi and Caleb Witherspoon. Excitement from the senior boys' Halton win has already spilled over into the junior program, which will begin a tournament schedule in January. Donaldson said 32 students attended junior tryouts yesterday morning, the highest turnout ever. Centennial eliminated two Oakville teams en route to the boys' final, squeaking past Montclair 16-14 in a round-robin tie-breaker and then defeating E.J. James 25-17 in the semis. Captain R. Wilson downed Burlington's Rolling Meadows in the other semifinal. · See Page 45 for more elementary school volleyball results www.icesports.com 905-845-6989