November 9, 2018: Quarter Finals

Following the upset against Bill Crothers SS, the Titans were eager to claim their next win, this time facing the Bur Oak Bulldogs, who finished with a 8-4 record, placing 5th overall in Tier 1. Both teams were going in to the game with one goal and one goal only, to win this game, and advance to the YRAA semi-finals.

The match started off in St Augustine’s favour, with the Titans winning 25-16 in the first game, putting them up 1-0 inthe match. The Titans got a little too comfortable, letting the Bulldogs go on multiple scoring runs, with Bur Oak winning their next two games 25-23 and 29-27, putting them up 2-1 in the match. The Titans were one game away from elimination, but in the team huddle, team captain Erik Siksna motivated the team, telling them to keep the same intensity as the first game, and to trust in their teammates. The Titans prevailed, taking the win 25-18, with Siksna scoring 7 kills, tying the match at 2-2.

Coming back from a 2-1 deficit is no simple task. The winning team is one game away from advancing, while the losing team is one game away from losing everything. Over the span of the game, the Titans used a total team effort to stage a big rally to come back and earn the win. A combination of amazing team chemistry, sets, and offensive tactics, the Titans were able to pull away with the win, 15-7, advancing to the semi-finals. I talked to head coach Adam Elkaim, and asked him on his thoughts on this game, and how it feels to come back from such a deficit.

“This game was an eye opener, proving that we have the ability to beat a Tier 1 team. So when we started today’s game, we had the confidence knowing that we can take this match. It looked like they were pretty nervous when they were down 2-1, but we actually had a similar situation with Bayview SS, where we lost in the first set, but the boys were able to step it up and get the win. I’m really proud of the boys and how they played today, Ben was an incredible setter, Erik of course was Erik, and we can’t wait ‘till Monday, we can’t wait to see what the semi finals bring!” – Adam Elkaim, Head Coach

I also spoke to team Captain Erik Siksna post-game, and asked him on his thoughts from the game: “I think we played really well. We all did a good job of passing the ball around and trusting each other. It’s not so great that we put ourselves in that [2-1] situation, but I think that it’s awesome that we can get out of it as well.” – Erik Siksna, Team Captain

November 12, 2018: Semi Finals

If you were to look up the definition of the word ‘upset’ on Google, you would find a variety of definitions, but one definition stands out amongst the others: an unexpected result or situation, especially in a sports competition. This word was the best to describe what happened in another arena 30 kilometres from our win at Bur Oak SS, at Aurora High in Aurora. The first seed Aurora Eagles were eager to take the ninth seed Mulock Ravens to advance to the YRAA Semi Finals.

This was no challenge, as Aurora has made themselves known for having one of the best volleyball teams in the YRAA for several years. Titans volleyball team captain Erik Siksna was looking forward to face Aurora, until he looked at his phone after the Titans’ win against Bur Oak SS to find shocking news. The Mulock Ravens have defeated the Aurora Eagles 3-2. The entire team couldn’t believe the news, and  were at a loss for words. Going into the semi finals, a T2S1 team facing a T1S9 team, this was truly a battle for the title of YRAA Underdog.

The Titans were entering the match as the only tier 2 team since Cardinal Carter to go into the YRAA semi-finals. Going into this match, the Titans were looking forward to seeing just how powerful this ninth seed team was. If they could defeat the number 1 seed Aurora in 5 games, they should be able to defeat a tier 2 team no problem, but that wasn’t the case when they played the Titans.

Mulock had put up a good fight offensively in the first game, having the advantage in their right sides, one of them being a teammate of our own team captain, Erik Siksna. Leads were exchanged multiple times before the score was settled at 25-21. The Titans felt good after their first win, but they were still eager to see what else the Eagle-slaying Ravens had to offer.

At the beginning of the second game, the Titans wasted no time in getting the lead against Mulock. Scoring point after point, the Titans were able to play hard in the last two games, defeating the Ravens by margins of 10 and 8 points (25-17, 25-15). The Ravens were furious, with one of their players throwing their shoes at the wall in frustration. The Titans couldn’t believe it, they were finals bound.

November 14, 2018: Finals

Once upon a time, in the region of York, there was a tier 2 volleyball team doubted by many. After entering battles against several tier 1 teams, the team was able to create upset after upset, defeating powerhouse teams like the Bill Crothers Colts, and the Mulock Ravens. That team now stands on the floors of Richmond Hill SS, facing off against the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Trail Blazers, hungry for the title of YRAA Champion.

The St Augustine Titans have prevailed  and proved the haters wrong since day 1. With the Titans recording impressive feats such as going undefeated in the regular season and being the second tier 2 team to advance to the YRAA semi finals since Cardinal Carter SS.

“If you were to tell me that us, as a tier 2 team, would make the YRAA finals, I’d think you were crazy.” –Team captain Erik Siksna when asked about how he felt going into the YRAA finals.

And so it began. After maintaining a steady score in the first few minutes of the game, things got out of hand, as the Trail Blazers managed to go on a scoring run early in the first game, putting up an impressive defensive effort, and penetrating the Titan’s front line defense, winning 25-16. The Titans were down, but not out. Going into the second game, the Trail Blazers had good momentum, but it was the determination of the Titans that allowed them to push through, scoring point after point, block after block, and win the next 3 sets consecutively, claiming the title of YRAA Champions.

With that, the dream season was finally complete. Recording an undefeated record in the regular season, upsetting multiple tier 1 powerhouses to get to the finals, and being one of the first tier 2 teams in YRAA history to be crowned champion. Ladies and gentlemen, your 2018 YRAA Tier 1 Volleyball Champions are yours truly, the St Augustine Titans.

By: Andrew Yang
Photographer: Andrew Yang