W-VOLLEYBALL ROUNDUP: Undefeated No. 4 Varsity Blues hand Gee-Gees first home loss
Friday, November 28
Guelph 2 @ Waterloo 3 (26-24, 19-25, 16-25, 25-23, 16-14)
The Warriors have been coming out on the wrong end of tight games for much of the season, but tonight that was not the case. In a game which was smothered in momentum swings, Waterloo defeated the #1 OUA West Gryphons in a 5-set thriller (26-24, 19-25, 16-25, 25-23, 16-14). Waterloo moves to 2-8 on the season and hand Guelph just their second loss (6-3).
Waterloo established a 6-2 lead early in the first set and forced Guelph to take an early timeout. The black and gold were passing the ball well which allowed Emily Needles (Thorndale) to run her offence and set the Warriors up for some solid offensive play. Guelph would ride the first momentum swing of the game and jump to a 16-13 lead at the technical timeout. Waterloo stormed back to close the gap to 22-21 in favour of the Gryphons and again 24-23. Waterloo answered with 3 straight points to end the set with a 26-24 victory and take an early 1-0 lead in the match.
In the second stanza, Waterloo struggled early and posted a large number of attacking and passing errors which put them down 7-3 early. Guelph led 16-12 at the technical timeout before winning the next to points to extend the lead to 18-12 and force the Warriors into a timeout. Back and forth action allowed the Warriors to claw back into the game but down 20-19, Waterloo lost the next 5 points to lose 25-19 and knot the match at 1 set a piece.
Waterloo seemed determined to turn the tables and lead 7-6 but Guelph won the next 4 rallies and lead 10-7. Waterloo continued to struggle on the offensive side of the ball and committed numerous attacking errors; something the Warriors nearly double Guelph on during the match. The Gryphons led 18-11 and would eventually go on to take the set 25-16 and take a 2-1 lead.
The black and gold were not going to finish the pre-holiday season on a losing note and rallied in the fourth set to gain a 7-5 lead early. Waterloo looked much calmer and were making smarter decisions with the ball before gaining a 13-11 lead on the back of captain Natasha Spaling (Drayton). Waterloo led 22-18 but forfeited two straight points when Waterloo's Richard Eddy called a timeout to weather the storm. Claire Mackenzie (Vancouver) would lay the hammer down a few points later to give the Warriors a 25-23 win and force a fifth and deciding set.
In the final stanza, momentum swings could not have been more prominent as Waterloo led 7-2 before the teams switched sides but would forfeit 5 straight points later in the set to go down 11-10 to Guelph. Waterloo would concede 3 of the next 4 points and go down 14-11, but would make an impressive run and win the fifth set 16-14 in an absolutely wild contest.
Waterloo's Spaling had 17 kills (.250) and 6 blocks while Shannon Lodoen (Waterloo) chipped in with 14 kills, 4 blocks and 8 digs. Emily Needles (Thorndale) had a great night with 44 assists and 14 digs while Kristen Bartmann (Uxbridge) had 41 digs which sits here at 4th in the OUA with 151.
Guelph's Madison Dedecker had a solid evening with 12 kills, 12 digs and 5 blocks while Shannon Morelli had 8 kills, 29 digs and 4 service aces. Kristen Almhjell had 30 digs which sits her 5th in the OUA behind Bartmann.
Waterloo will now break for the holidays and return to action on the road Friday, January 9 to take on the Toronto Varsity Blues at 8pm.
Source: Waterloo Warriors
Windsor 3 @ Western 2 (25-20, 19-25, 25-19, 18-25, 11-15)
LONDON, Ont. – Redeeming themselves from a loss to Western earlier this season, the Windsor Lancers defeated the Mustangs in five sets (25-20, 19-25, 25-19, 18-25, 11-15) on Friday night at Alumni Hall.
Headed into the game with matching 3-6 records, both sides were looking for a win to take over sole possession of fourth place in the OUA West standings. With their win the Lancers move to 4-6 on the year, while Western moves to 3-7.
"I think we have a lot of offensive weapons," said Mustangs head coach Melissa Bartlett. "When we're on, we're definitely one of the most difficult teams to defend against in the entire league when we're receiving well and passing well. It's just a matter of winning those long rallies, staying focused, tough defence and some teams that are maybe less skilled than us are out-competing us and that can tip the scale sometimes."
Laura Lytwynec opened up the scoreboard with a kill to start the Mustangs off on a high note. Riding the momentum, the Mustangs raced ahead to quickly establish a seven-point lead at 12-5.
Despite closing the point gap to two points at 16-14 after multiple Mustang errors, the Lancers were unable to completely adjust to the power of Western's play at the net and continued to trail behind.
Focusing on strategic attacks and impenetrable blocks, the Mustangs extended their lead and took the first set 25-20.
With 14 Mustang kills in the set – compared to five from Windsor – the Mustangs proved themselves to be a force when on offence.
Heading back onto the court, the Lancers were determined to even the score and capture the second set. Quickly establishing a small lead, Windsor had control of the set early on until the Mustangs refocused their defensive play to fill previously exploited holes and areas of weakness to tie the score up at 11-11.
Pulling ahead, the Mustangs smashed out a series of attacks that left the Lancers floundering to bring the score to 15-12. Adjusting defensively, and focusing on blocking, the Lancers tied up the score at 18-18.
Despite calling a timeout at 19-21 the Mustangs were unable to slow the momentum of the Lancers, with the second set ending at 19-25.
Although the third set opened up with a Lancer error, the Mustangs fell into a point deficit that lasted much of the set. Slowed by an energized opponent, Western struggled to combat the consistency and accuracy behind Windsor's serves.
Rallying to tie up the match at 13-13, the Mustangs refocused their game to close defensive weak spots while also reducing unforced errors.
Exchanging points, both teams struggled to create a substantial lead until the serving consistency of Aja Gyimah helped the Mustangs pull ahead to 20-18.
Looking to end the set, the Mustangs hammered out a quick five points, interrupted by only one for the Lancers, to end the set 25-19.
Carrying over their momentum from the third set the Mustangs took an early lead in the fourth, but were soon challenged by the Lancer blocks and forced into a timeout at 8-12.
Walking back into position with a new plan, the Mustangs adjusted their play at the net to avoid being blocked and brought the score to 15-16.
Unwilling to allow the set to get away from them, Windsor responded by tightening up their defensive play and refusing to let any ball drop and forced the Mustangs into another time-out at 16-20.
Looking to end the set quickly and not allow the Mustangs a chance for a comeback, the Lancers strategically placed their attacks for a quick few points to end the set 19-25 on a Mustang error.
Regardless of Candice Scott starting off the final set for the Mustangs with an un-returnable serve, Windsor quickly established a lead that would last the entire set.
Already forced into a timeout at 1-3, the Mustangs struggled to combat the renewed confidence of the Lancers. With stronger attacks and a more rigorous defence, Windsor quickly hammered out a series of points to extend their lead, with the Mustangs trailing 1-8 at the technical timeout.
Slowly working their way back from the deficit, the Mustangs focused on powerful attacks to force Windsor into a timeout with Western down 11-14. Unfortunately for the purple and white faithful in attendance, the Lancers took the game following the timeout, with Western losing the set 11-15.
Kelsey Veltman led all players with 18.5 points from 12 kills, six solo blocks and one assisted block. While Lancer Hannah Robson and Mustang Aja Gyimah followed closely behind with 17, and 16.5 points each.
The Mustangs will now take a break throughout December and return on January 10 for a match against McMaster at Alumni Hall. Game time is set for 5 p.m. and fans can watch all the action live on OUA.tv.
Source: Western Mustangs
Brock 1 @ McMaster 3 (25-19, 23-25, 25-23, and 25-17)
It was a struggle at times, but the McMaster women's volleyball team snapped its two-game losing streak by beating the Brock Badgers 3-1 on Friday night in Hamilton. Set scores were: 25-19, 23-25, 25-23, and 25-17.
The match was 30 minutes late starting as the officials were delayed by massive traffic problems on surrounding highways that made getting to the McMaster campus a tough chore.
The opening set saw McMaster assume control early, leading 16-10 at the technical time-out and closing out a 25-19 win.
With a one-set lead, McMaster seemed well on its way and was leading 15-11 in the second set when things took a turn in the Badgers direction. A series of unforced errors allowed Brock to storm back and at the technical break, the Badgers were in front 16-15. Marauder coach Tim Louks went to his bench to try to regain the momentum and McMaster was able to grab a 23-22 lead. But a service error allowed Brock to tie the score and the Badgers served out the set to even the match at one-set apiece.
Brock seemed poised to take over the match and held a 16-13 lead at the technical timeout in the third set. McMaster continued to make substitutions, looking for an effective combination. The Marauders grabbed the lead, but the Badgers fought back to even the score at 23-23, before Brock made two errors to give the set and the lead in the match to McMaster.
The Marauders started the fourth set like they wanted to send Brock on its way home, grabbing a 14-6 lead, and in front 16-10 at the technical break. Behind some strong play from Lauren Mastroluisi and Taylor Brisebois, the Marauders kept up the pressure and won 25-17, with a Brisebois block ending the match.
Brisebois had 21 points, which included 17 kills, and an outstanding kill-percentage of .616%. Mastroluisi and Joanna Jedrzejewska both registered 13 points. Defensively, Mastroluisi was solid with 20 digs, while libero Khira Adams had 14, many of the sensational variety.
McMaster will head to Guelph on Saturday, November 29th for a 6 p.m. match with the Gryphons, before heading into the exam and holiday break period. OUA play will resume in January of the new year.
Source: McMaster Marauders
Saturday, November 29
Queen's 3 @ York 1
The York University Lions women's volleyball team was defeated 3-1 by the Queen's Gaels on Saturday (Nov. 29) at the Tait McKenzie Centre.
The Gaels won the first two sets by a score of 25-18 and 27-25, respectively. The Lions pulled one back with a score of 25-19. However, the Gaels were able to seal their win in the fourth set with a tight match at 26-24.
Panic in the Gaels' defence and mistakes by the Lions made the contest tight for both teams in the first set.
Gaels' Katie Hagarty executed spikes that troubled the Lions. However, the Lions were able to equalize at 8-8 with a Brittney Hopley (Thornhill, Ont.) service ace.
The Lions defended well with their blocks but the deflection went out of bounds. Michelle Pierce (Windsor, Ont.) was excellent in front of the net with her kills. Pierce ended the game with a total of 19 kills and 22 points.
After the timeout, the Gaels tested the Lions' defence. The Gaels trailed from 15-16 to leading at 19-16, and carried that advantage through to the end of the set.
Hopley continued her run of form in the second set. The Lions improved their play with good calls and crucial digs. Kirsten Dillon (Surrey, B.C.) set up Pierce for a stunning strike to give the Lions a lead at 16-14. However, miscommunications cost the Lions the set as the Gaels caught up. The set remained tight as the game deuced twice before the Gaels emerged as the winners.
During the third set, Dillon made an impressive defensive effort as the player dove to the ground and made a save.
Pierce remained solid throughout the set as the Lions caught up at 13-13.
The Lions made a comeback from behind at 17-14. Attacking errors by the Gaels gave Lions a 21-14 advantage. Veneta Mincheva (Gatineau, Que.) made the set-winning kill.
The fourth set was another tight matchup between the two teams. The scoreline margin proved the quality of both teams. After a deuce at the final match point, errors committed by the Lions saw the home team defeated by the Gaels.
Hopley led all players with 25.5 points on 21 kills, 3.5 blocks and one service ace. Hagarty was the top scorer for Queen's with 18 points on 16 kills and two service aces, and she also contributed 20 digs.
The Lions will face the RMC Paladins on Sunday (Nov. 30) at Tait McKenzie Centre beginning at 2pm.
Source: York Lions
RMC 3 @ Nipissing 1
In four sets, the biggest spread at the end was just five points, but unfortunately the Nipissing Lakers women's volleyball was on the wrong end of three of those sets, and dropped their match Saturday.
The Lakers and RMC Paladins split the first two sets, but RMC pulled away in the third and fourth and claimed the victory in four sets, handing the Lakers the loss.
After the teams traded 25-22 set victories in the first two, RMC came away with a 26-24 win in the third to take the lead and closed things out in the fourth with a 25-20 win.
Each set was up for grabs until the end, as the teams went back and forth, trading points and mounting comebacks.
The Lakers had chances throughout the match to take over, but were unable to capitalize.
Tracy Hammerton led the Lakers with 20 kills and 21.5 points while Christina Caruso and Victoria Taylor each added seven kills for Nipissing.
The Lakers will now try to regroup and get back in the win column Sunday when they host the Queens Gaels.
Queens has won four in a row and are coming off a 3-1 win over York Saturday afternoon.
Game time is set for noon at the RJS Athletic Centre.
Source: Nipissing Lakers
Ryerson 0 @ Ottawa 3
The uOtttawa Gee-Gees volleyball team piled up nine service aces, including four by Kira Tome in the opening set, sending the Ryerson Rams reeling in a 3-0 sweep. The win vaults Ottawa (8-2) above Ryerson (8-2) in the OUA East standings with one game remaining before the winter break.
With her performance today, Tome joins Myriam English at the top of the CIS rankings for service aces per set with 0.59 this season. Ottawa as a team also ranks first in the nation, averaging 2.85 aces per set.
Tome was Ottawa's second server in the opening set and she set the tone for the match by unloading eight straight points for an 11-3 lead. From there, Ottawa extended the lead to 24-14 on a series of short rallies before stalling on set point and finishing the first set at 25-18.
In the second set, it was a pair of aces from Kelsie English that helped establish a 12-6 lead. English also had the hot hand in the front row, scoring four kills in the second frame while Kaly Soro added five.
Attack errors mid-set by Ottawa and strong play from middle blocker Theanna Vernon helped Ryerson climb back within three at 18-15 before the Gee-Gees came back with kills from Soro and English closing the set at 25-19
"We did our individual things really well in set one," said Gee-Gees head coach Lionel Woods. "In set three, the game plan took over and our hitting zones against that team worked when they needed to. We showed our maturity today, playing at all speeds."
Ryerson came back with a strong performance in set three, grabbing a 7-3 lead. A timeout from Ottawa helped turn things around and the Gee-Gees tied things up at 15-15 on a block by Soro and Alix Durivage. The teams went point for point down to the wire before a big kill from Soro gave Sophie Chenail a chance to serve match point.
Kelsie English led all players with 18 points in the match, including 12 kills and three aces. Veronica Livingston was the leader for Ryerson with nine kills and ten points.
Source: Ottawa Gee-Gees
McMaster 3 @ Guelph 1 (23-25, 25-18, 25-19, 25-20)
The Marauders middle duo exploded for a combined 35.5 points on Saturday, as McMaster battled past its closest divisonal rival, the Guelph Gryphons, in four sets on the road.
Set scores were 23-25, 25-18, 25-19, 25-20 in favour of the Marauders, who moved to 7-3 at the halfway point of their OUA campaign as the teams break for the holidays. They sit atop the OUA West standings, having created separation between themselves and the 6-4 Gryphons with the win.
Maicee Sorensen stood as both the top scorer and most efficient hitter on Saturday, pounding down 16 kills on 31 attempts versus just a single error (.484) while adding an ace and two blocks for a total of 19 points. Her fellow middle Taylor Brisebois was not far behind, posting 16.5 points on 14-31 hitting against one error (.419), one ace and 1.5 blocks.
McMaster's workhorse outside hitter, Joanna Jedrzejewska had 18 points, while Lauren Mastroluisi also entered double digits on the opposite wing with 11.5. Setter Caitlin Genovy had an exceptional night at the controls, posting a total of 50 assists in four sets.
The night began well for the Marauders, who took a 9-5 lead in the opening set after a Guelph attacking error, and forced the Gryphons into an early timeout. But the hosts rebounded well, and outlasted McMaster to take the first set when Shannon Morelli answered a Brisebois kill with one of her own on set point.
A service run by Brisebois early in the second helped the Marauders to rush ahead of the Gryphons, and they led 9-3 when her stint at the line was brought to an end by a kill from Rebecca Breau. Momentum stayed with the visitors, however, and McMaster took a dominant 16-8 lead into the technical timeout. Despite a late Guelph run, that gap proved too wide for the hosts to bridge, and McMaster evened the match when Jedrzejewska killed for 25-18.
Another quick start in the third set put the Marauders in the driver's seat, and they led by seven points at the techincal timeout after one of Brisebois' 14 kills on the night. Once again, such a wide gap proved insurmountable for the Gryphons, and after a service error brought up set point, Mastroluisi killed to give McMaster the overall lead.
With their backs against the wall, Guelph battled to begin the fourth set and stayed within striking distance of McMaster at the technical timeout, trailing 16-13. But the Marauders put the pedal down to win the next four points with Brisebois toeing the service line, and Jedrzejewska brought the night to an end with an ace on match point.
The Marauders will now break for the exam and holiday period, and return to conference play on Saturday, January 10, when they travel to London to conclude the season series against the Western Mustangs.
Source: McMaster Marauders
Sunday, November 30
Queen's 3 @ Nipissing 0 (25-21, 25-17 and 25-22)
One of the traits that made the Nipissing Lakers women's volleyball team tick last year was their resiliency and the fact that they refused to quit, even when things weren't going their way.
They showed that Sunday, as they wrapped up the first half of their season, and while it didn't result in a win, the battle level was raised and they hung tough with a very strong Queens Gaels team.
The Lakers fell in three sets, losing 25-21, 25-17 and 25-22.
In each set, they found a way to fight back and close the gap on Queens, but were unable to complete the comeback and claim the win.
Regardless, the effort was there and overall, the first semester showed they could compete and be successful at this level.
A hot start had them feeling confident, and while the second half of the semester didn't translate into wins, they have positives to build on as they prepare for a road-heavy second half of the season.
Tracy Hammerton led the Lakers attack once again, picking up nine kills and 10 points.
Despite only recording one kill, Brittany Ardron scored seven points thanks to three service aces and three blocks.
Lindsay Vanderweide picked up four kills and Cassie Dobson added three for Nipissing.
They're next regular season action is in January, but they'll be taking part in an exhibition tournament over the Christmas break.
Source: Nipissing Lakers
Toronto 3 @ Ottawa 0
The undefeated Toronto Varsity Blues snapped an eight game winning streak built up by the uOttawa Gee-Gees women's volleyball team with a 3-0 sweep on Sunday afternoon at Montpetit Hall. The loss was the first for Ottawa (8-3) at home this season, while the no. 4 ranked Varsity Blues climb to 9-0 and have lost just two sets so far this regular season.
Fifth-year attacker Charlotte Sider scored 18 points for her Blues, including sixteen kills, and was also a contributor defensively with a game-high 15 digs.
Kaly Soro was the leader for Ottawa with 12 kills, 11 digs, and 13.5 points. Ottawa did not get its usual production out of service, landing just three aces in the match while Toronto countered with eight.
The Blues came out firing, attacking at a .423 efficiency in the opening set. Sider was off to a good start, counting five kills in the first frame, while Kelsie English led the attack on Ottawa's side. The lead changed hands three times in the first set and Ottawa led 16-15 at the technical timeout. A series of attack errors by the Gee-Gees gave Toronto a 19-17 lead before Sider helped the Blues close out the first set 25-19.
Sider would continue to roll in the second frame, counting seven kills including a short cross court shot from the right side which stopped a late Gee-Gees rally. Toronto led all the way through the second set and took it 25-18.
A long rally opened the third set and signalled the close set which was to come. The set was tied 29 times with 11 lead changes. Toronto service errors gave the Gee-Gees a small lead early, but great defence from Sider in the back row put the Blues back in front.
Toronto led 16-15 at the break, and Ottawa called timeout at 18-16 before fighting back with four straight points including two blocks from Kelsie English, teaming with Myriam and Sophie Chenail. The Blues came back with a trio of aces and kills from Jennifer Neilson to take the set to 24-21. Ottawa fought back to 24-24 before the final two points were scored by errors on the part of the Gee-Gees.
"Their whole team out-executed us today," said Gee-Gees head coach Lionel Woods. "They were on fire – it was a cat and mouse game today and we were not the cat often enough."
Source: Ottawa Gee-Gees
RMC 0 @ York 3 (25-19, 25-14, 25-14)
The York University Lions women's volleyball team defeated the RMC Paladins in straight sets on Sunday (Nov. 30) in a home game at the Tait McKenzie Centre.
York's exceptional blocking from Michelle Pierce (Windsor, Ont.) and Brittney Hopley (Thornhill, Ont.) assisted the Lions victory. The Lions won the first set 25-19, the second 25-14 and the third 25-14.
In the first set, the Lions looked shaky when many of their hits went out-of-bounds, aiding the Paladins to be in the lead 16-12. However, massive spikes by Hopley, Pierce, Celeste Witzell (Kitchner, Ont.), Cadence Currie (Scarborough, Ont.) and Aleks Arsovic (Burlington, Ont.) were too powerful for the Paladins to defend against as they began to fall to the Lions.
The Lions ended the first set strong with two powerful kills from Veneta Mincheva (Gatineau, Que.) and Kirsten Dillon (Surrey, B.C.) to take it by six points.
In the second set the Lions continued to pound the Paladins as the energetic Hopley demonstrated her spiking talent.
In one play, Pierce charged up for a spike, but tricked the Paladins by simply tipping the ball over and gaining a point for York.
Delanie Chang and Nicole Behnke from the Paladins did an outstanding job defending against the Lions, but it was not enough to pull their team through as they lost by 11 points.
The third set was full of several diving saves and fast recoveries from the Lions that helped them hold the lead against the Paladins. RMC's Danielle Vortisch threatened that lead as her pounding kills closed the gap.
Octavia Wong (Thornhill, Ont.) contributed many tremendous serves that threw the Paladins off guard and got the Lions extra points. The set ended with the same 11-point advantage for the Lions as in the second set.
The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Lions and improved their record to 5-5 on the year, while the Paladins remain at the bottom of the OUA East with a mark of 2-9.
The leaders from the Lions included Hopley with 12 kills and four blocks, Pierce with nine kills, three aces and three blocks and Mincheva with six kills, one ace and one block.
Behnke led the Paladins with 10 kills, one ace and three blocks, and Vortisch had eight kills, one ace and one block.
The Lions are now off for the December break and will return to action against the Paladins on Saturday, Jan. 10 at 3pm in Kingston, Ont.
Source: York Lions
