A Sarnia girls' volleyball team won a gold medal at the 2022 Youth Nationals in Edmonton.
The Sarnia Twin Bridges Thunder U15 girls team took top spot in the tier two championships after dropping their opening two matches of the tournament.
Thunder Head Coach Brian Maxfield said the girls clicked over the weekend in a way he hasn't really seen all year.
"The first few matches of the tournament, there was a lot of nerves and anxiety flying out to Edmonton -- big stage, big tournament, over 120 teams. But since the third match on, we swept the rest of the tournament and won eight straight matches to win the gold."
Maxfield said there were five different divisions and that Sarnia was one of the gold medal winners. He said the tournament was an amazing experience.
"It means that Sarnia has a pretty good volleyball program. It gives us an opportunity on the boys and girls side to show Sarnia-Lambton that volleyball has a lot of strength in our community," he said. "Now the girls have had the experience of playing against Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, BC, some pretty amazing teams, this is only going to improve our club for years to come and give the girls lifetime experiences they'll never forget."
Maxfield said a few businesses, including JBL Construction and The River Osteopathy & Wellness Centre, stepped up with corporate sponsorships to make the trip a reality.
"And then a lot of local people supporting with small donations in helping the girls get there, as well as doing a Giresi's Pizza fundraiser, we were able to raise almost $10,000 to support the girls getting there which was unbelievable."