St. Clair Saints women’s volleyball team wins first medal in 20 years

The St. Clair College women’s volleyball team won bronze at this year’s OCAA tournament, ending a 20-year medal drought for the team.

Head coach Jimmy El-Turk said when he started three years ago and saw the banner hanging in the gym with the last medal’s dates on it, he was immediately motivated to start working toward an OCAA win.

And the work paid off. El-Turk attributes the success to the consistent dedication his team put in.

“I think it was the ability of the girls on the team to do the work every single day,” said El-Turk. “Our girls decided that their work was worth something and they wanted to make it happen.”

This was team captain Taylor Fitzgerald’s fifth and final year playing for the Saints volleyball team. She was named the OCAA tournament all-star this year. In her eyes, the win is validation for the team.

“It shows St. Clair women’s volleyball is a program that works hard and should not be taken lightly,” said Fitzgerald.  “We have built an amazing culture and defined what it means to be a Saint, and we aren’t slowing down.”

The bronze medal match was a tight 3-2 win over Sheridan College that kept fans on their toes. El-Turk said he believes the Saints wanted the win more. 

Fitzgerald said they brought everything they worked for all season onto the court.

“We found another level to push to and fought the hardest we had all season to earn that medal,” she said.

“Once the last point was won it felt like a weight was lifted from me and that I had no sore knees, no stress, no fatigue. It was the lightest feeling in the world.”

Thrilled about the victory and accomplishing the challenge he set three years ago, El-Turk is enjoying the payoff of his team’s hard work. However, he said he can’t help but already be thinking about next season and setting new goals.