W-VOLLEYBALL WEEKEND ROUNDUP: No. 6 Gee-Gees sweep Gaels
The Ryerson Rams women’s volleyball team made quick work of the Nipissing Lakers in their return to the Mattamy Athletic Centre on Friday night, sweeping the visitors (25-20, 25-20, 25-16) in straight sets.
Photo by Richard A. Whittaker
Friday, January 30
Nipissing 0 @ Ryerson 3
The Ryerson Rams women's volleyball team made quick work of the Nipissing Lakers in their return to the Mattamy Athletic Centre on Friday night, sweeping the visitors (25-20, 25-20, 25-16) in straight sets.
First year middle Jena Bonello (Vaughan, Ont.) had a game-high and career-high 12 kills to lead the Rams while Veronica Livingston (Kelowna, B.C.) added 11 kills and Emily Nicholishen (Whitby, Ont.) finished with ten kills on the night.
"Jena has been gaining a lot of valuable experience and she's a really talented athlete that has a great deal of energy and enthusiasm and it's great to see her have a great game," said head coach Dustin Reid following the match.
The Rams jumped out to a 12-7 lead early in the first set and led by six at the technical timeout but the Lakers rallied to close the deficit to two at 17-15. After a Ryerson timeout the Rams regained a five-point spread at 20-15 and went on to the 25-20 set victory.
Ryerson led early in the second set as well but Nipissing was able to activate their blocking game to a higher level which helped them pull ahead 16-15 at the technical timeout. Unforced errors hurt the Rams in the second before rallying from down 20-17 for eight straight points to win the set 25-20 and take a commanding 2-0 match lead.
The Rams dominated the third set, leading 16-5 at the technical timeout and closing the set at 25-16 for the three set sweep.
"We want to start building in a positive direction, we know we've got a lot of home games in the next two weeks so we wanted to take that first step today," said Reid. "I'm happy with how we played today…we held our composure."
Nipissing's Christina Caruso had a team-high 7 kills while Tracy Hammerton added six in the losing effort.
Friday's game was the first for the Rams on home court since November 23, 2014 and Veronica Livingston spoke to the importance of familiarity.
"It's definitely great to be back home, having all of our fans here and playing on a court we're used to. Being on the road definitely causes a little more mental and physical exhaustion…so it's good to be back in the familiar environment and we can just play a little more relaxed."
Ryerson moves to 12-4 on the season while Nipissing falls to 5-11. The Rams move into a tie for second place in the OUA east division and will be back in action on Saturday evening when they host the York Lions (9-7).
Waterloo 0 @ Guelph 3
The University of Guelph women's volleyball team swept the Waterloo Warriors in straight sets Friday night at the W.F. Mitchell Athletics Center. Set scores were 25-21, 25-13 and 25-17. The first set saw the Gryphons start strong as they opened up an 8-3 lead early on. Leading 16-12 at the technical timeout, a 5-1 run allowed Guelph to take charge, but a late Waterloo run narrowed the deficit to three points before a Jen Johnstone (North Vancouver, BC) kill finished the set 25-21. Set two again saw the Gryphons start well as they forged a big lead in the middle of the set to win comfortably at 25-13. The third set was close early on but Guelph led 16-10 at the technical timeout. From there, Waterloo could get no closer than five points as the Gryphons closed out the match winning 25-17.
Coach Funk said, "Tonight we didn't let our foot off the gas after the second set and played steady volleyball to finish the match. I thought Katelyn Larson set a very good game and Kristen Almhjell was steady on serve receive which really helped us stay on an even keel tonight." Maddie DeDecker again led the Guelph offense with 12 points (12 kills) followed by Shannon Morelli with 8 (7 kills, 1 block). The Gryphons next action is next Friday when they host the RMC Paladins on Friday night at 6pm followed by Senior Night on Saturday at 6pm versus the Queen's Gaels.
Lakehead 3 @ Brock 1
The Brock women's volleyball team (7-10 OUA) was defeated by the Lakehead Thunderwolves (3-12 OUA) by the score of 3-1 (22-25, 25-23, 21-25,17-25), Friday evening, at the Bob Davis Gymnasium.
Prior to match, the Badgers honoured the 2015 Senior Class which includedLauren Stirling, Katie Murray, Nicole Arthurs and student trainer Jessica Swallow.
"This group of young ladies will be sorely missed, but will always be part of the Badgers Family," said head coach Dale Ann Melnick. "Each one of these girls has given so much to the program and university in different ways. It was also great to see a number of volleyball alumni in attendance tonight, being here to be part of the annual senior day celebration."
The Badgers played a strong first set; keeping pace with the opposing side for the majority of the game before the Thunderwolves would eventually take the set, 25-22. Brock was able to tie the match at a game a piece with a win in game two, by the score of 25-23.
There was a scary moment in the fourth set, as Badgers Katie Murray was forced to leave the match with a knee injury. Brock attempted to rally back for their fallen teammate, but the deficit proved to be too large; Lakehead would eventually go on to take this match in four games, 3-1.
Leading the Badgers offence was Stacie Thomas; collecting eight kills and five digs for the match. Abby Jenkins tacked on seven kills and eight digs, while Renee Helmerand Maddie Brown chipped in with six and five kills respectively. Lauren Stirling collected 31 assists while Karlinna O'Leary totalled 17 digs on defense.
The Thunderwolves were led by Jen Casey who collected a match-high 20 kills and 12 digs for the double-double, while Kalilan Robinson chipped in with 14 kills and six digs. Lakehead setter, Vanessa Masters, added a game-high 43 assists in the win.
The Badgers hit just .154%, totalling 36 kills and 18 errors on 117 total attempts. The Thunderwolves tallied 55 kills and 24 errors on 124 total attempts for a .250 hitting percentage.
York 0 @ Toronto 3
The No. 3 nationally ranked University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's volleyball team defeated the York Lions 3-0 (25-21, 25-15,25-15) in their annual Think Pink game on Friday, January 30 at the Goldring Center for High Performance Sport.
The Blues, who now hold a 16-0 record, solidify home court advantage for the OUA quarter-final round. U of T will host the OUA East third or fourth seed on Saturday, February 14 at 2 p.m. at Goldring Centre.
Fifth-year left side hitter Charlotte Sider led all players with 14 kills, while adding 15 digs and four aces on the night. Fellow veteran Jennifer Neilson had 11 kills and four digs, while Caleigh Cruickshank notched eight kills.
Madelyn Mandryk tallied 31 assists and eight digs, with libero Denise Wooding recording 15 digs in the victory.
The first set saw a neck-and-neck battle up until the first technical timeout. An ace from Sider and a couple of kills from Neilson gave Toronto a 16-15 lead at the break. Some big blocks from Bojana Radan and a final kill gave U of T the first 25-21.
Sider dominated in the second set, pulling the Blues up 16-14 at the timeout after a long rally. The entire Blues rotation contributed to a nine 9-1 streak as Toronto took the second set 25-15.
U of T kept rolling in the third set, building a 16-7 lead at the timeout. Tessa Davis got in on the action with some big kills and a final kill from Sider sealed the match 25-15.
The Varsity Blues return to action tomorrow night (Jan. 31) as they host the Nipissing Lakers at Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport. Opening serve is set for 6:30 p.m.
GAME NOTES: Nathalin Moy, Dawn Virginillo, Emily Johnson and Anita Osostowicz cut their hair in support of this year's University of Toronto Think Pink Week. To donate to the cause, please visit varsityblues.ca/thinkpink
Saturday, January 31
Queen's 0 @ Ottawa 3
The no. 6 ranked Gee-Gees women's volleyball team took an impressive 25-12, 25-18, 25-19 win on home court against the Queen's Gaels on Saturday afternoon. The win elevates the Gee-Gees to 13-3 on the season, while Queen's falls to 11-6 and fourth place in the OUA East.
The win was Ottawa's fifth straight and rounded out the month of January as an undefeated month with zero sets lost.
Alix Durivage had a standout performance for Ottawa; the fourth-year middle landed a season high six service aces alongside seven kills and two blocks. Myriam English led all players with 15 points, and Durivage was just behind at 14.5.
"Alix has been ready to have a match like that all year," said Gee-Gees head coach Lionel Woods. "We've been building our rhythm all month and there is such comfort out there with the starting six. We were just nailing first contact today which opens up the game to allow Alix to be outstanding. It was working today and we ran with it."
Gaels libero Becky Wilson had a busy afternoon totalling 11 digs, many of which were of the difficult variety. Brett Hagarty was the leading offensive player on the Queen's side with seven kills.
All of Ottawa's weapons were in sync in the opening two sets. Six service aces in the first frame had the Gee-Gees in control, and Myriam English was on her game with five kills to pace the home squad to a 25-14 first set win.
A lengthy rally at outset of second set featured desperate defence on both sides –Ottawa finally took the point when an exhausted Gaels attacker misfired into the net. Following that, Durivage hammered down a pair of quick kills to put Ottawa ahead 11-8. Ottawa continued to hold the lead with solid attacks, forcing a Queen's timeout at 20-15. The Gee-Gees were impressive in their coverage in the middle of the floor and continued to mix attack options. Durivage finished the set off with a smart tip off the Queen's blockers.
Ottawa led throughout the third set but was unable to pull away. Queen's did pull even at 17-17, using a short service strategy. The Gee-Gees called a timeout and regained the lead with Myriam English scoring late on the left side and an ace from Durivage.
Lakehead 0 @ Western 3
Looking to establish their dominance over Lakehead after a difficult five set loss earlier in the season, the Mustangs swept the Thunderwolves in straight sets (26-24, 25-13, 25-23) Saturday afternoon at Alumni Hall.
Brock 0 @ Windsor 3
The Lancer women's volleyball team got back in the win column on a very emotional Breast Cancer Awareness Day when they defeated the Brock Badgers 3-0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-20).
Prior to today's game, the team honoured long-time assistant coach Lynda Leckie, who is ten years cancer free this coming April, by permanently adding her initials to their special pink jerseys, and presenting her with her daughter Mackenzie's framed jersey.
Playing with plenty of emotion, Windsor easily handled the visiting Badgers throughout the entire match.
Shannon Dean led the Lancers with 12 kills, while Hannah Robson had 11 kills and 12 digs and Emily Durand had 7 digs on the defensive side of the ball.
Windsor will be back on the court on Sunday for their final home game of the season. Prior to the game the Lancers will honour their graduating seniors Melissa Smyth and Robson. The game is scheduled to start at 1:00pm at the St. Denis Centre.
McMaster 3 @ Waterloo 1
Waterloo returned to the PAC on Saturday for their home game of the season and put together a strong effort against the OUA west leading McMaster Marauders. Waterloo dropped the opening two sets (17, 16) but fought their way back into the match taking the third set 25-23. It looked as if Waterloo was going to push it to a fifth set up 22-19 but McMaster converted the next six points to take it 25-22 and claim the match 3-1.
The loss dropped Waterloo's record to 4-13 as they sit two points back of Western and Windsor for the final playoff spot in the OUA west while McMaster sits on top at 14-3.
Despite the loss, Waterloo showed their bright future under the tenure of head coach Richard Eddy and the rest of his coaching staff. Rookie left side Sammie Gwozdz (Waterloo)continued her strong rookie campaign with 11 points in the contest. Also putting together a strong game was right side Shannon Lodoen (Waterloo) who tallied seven kills on 17 attempts.
Rounding out Waterloo's attack was Claire Mackenzie (Vancouver) and Natasha Spaling (Drayton) who had eight and six kills respectively. Emily Needles (Thorndale) picked up 35 assists in the match while third year libero Kristen Bartmann (Uxbridge) had her athletic ability on display all night with a game high 18 digs.
For McMaster it was Lauren Mastroluisi doing most of the damage with 15 kills while middle Alicia Jack finished with six blocks in the win.
Waterloo's playoff hopes rest on their final road trip of the year as they make the long journey to Thunder Bay next weekend to take on Lakehead. Two wins are a must if the Warriors hope to extend their OUA play in 2015.
York 0 @ Ryerson 3
The Ryerson Rams women's volleyball team remains unbeaten on home court this season following a 3-0 (25-20, 25-18, 25-23) sweep of the York Lions on Saturday night at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
Ryerson's Veronica Livingston (Kelowna, B.C.) had a game-high 15 kills to add to her OUA-leading attacking numbers while Emily Nicholishen (Whitby, Ont.) had a solid game overall with 12 kills and 12 digs.
The Rams got off to a good start and held a 16-13 lead at the technical timeout before extending their lead to five at 20-15. York started to make a run with three straight points but they could never catch up as Ryerson took the first set 25-20 after back-to-back kills from Livingston.
In the second, York was whistled early for an out of rotation call that gave the Rams a 7-4 advantage and forced a Lions timeout. The visitors had trouble sorting out a game plan and by the technical timeout found themselves down 16-9. With some breathing room between them, Ryerson was able to close for a 25-18 second set win to take a 2-0 lead overall.
Ryerson led the third set 16-14 at the technical timeout but York put together a run which gave them a 21-20 lead. Following a Rams timeout, the home side strung together three straight points to regain a 23-20 lead and Nicholishen put the game away with a kill down the sideline to end the set at 25-23 and the match at 3-0.
"With our team, we're pretty comfortable coming from behind and in this game specifically you could sense the composure on the court and we handled it well," said Nicholishen following the match.
Head coach Dustin Reid was pleased with his team's performance and took it as another building block as the team pushes towards the playoffs.
"York is a team that we know very well. They have a lot of talent…(but) if you're able to serve aggressively then they can't get the ball to their best players all the time so that's something that worked for us today," said Reid following the game.
York's Brittney Hopley had a team-high ten kills in the loss while Aleks Arsovic added seven kills and a team-high nine digs.
With the win the Rams improve to 13-4 and remain tied with Ottawa for second place in the OUA east division, although the Gee-Gees have a game in-hand over Ryerson. The win does provide the Rams some separation from fourth place Queen's, however, which could provide a more favourable playoff matchup.
Nipissing 0 @ Toronto 3
The No. 3 nationally ranked University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's volleyball team improved to 17-0 with a 3-0 (25-12, 25-15, 25-9) victory over the Nipissing Lakers on Saturday night (Jan. 31) at Goldring Centre for High performance Sport.
The undefeated Blues clinch the top spot in the East and will host the division's fourth seed in OUA quarter-final action on Saturday, February 14 at 2 p.m.
Fifth-year middle Sarah Chapin led all players with seven kills, while adding four digs and two blocks on the night. Fellow middle Bojana Radan added five kills and three blocks, while rookie leftside hitter Anna Feore had six kills.
Madelyn Mandryk and Erin Jacobs split setting duties, tallying seven and 13 assists, respectively, while both Caleigh Cruickshank and Denise Wooding had 10 digs in the win.
Both teams traded points to start the first set. Tied 8-8 in the early goings, the Blues pulled away and a Sider kill gave Toronto a 16-10 lead at the technical timeout. Toronto, bolstered by four kills from Neilson, ended the first on a 9-2 run to take it 25-12.
U of T continued to dominate in the second set and a couple of points from rookie Anna Feore gave the Blues a 16-10 lead at the break. A block from fellow rookie Veronica Derylo and Chapin gave the Blues the 2-0 match lead, winning the second 25-15.
Toronto completed the 3-0 win with a dominant third set. Second-year left side hitter Emma Jennings ended the match with a couple of big kills, taking the third 25-9.
The Lakers were led by Annabelle Harvey, who had four kills, one block and one ace.
The Varsity Blues are back in action next Friday, February 6 as they travel to take on the Ryerson Rams at Mattamy Athletic Centre. Game time is set for 6 p.m.
The University of Toronto is the proud host of the 2015 CIS women's volleyball championship, presented by Canuck Stuff, February 26-March 1 at the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport. Tickets are on sale now at varsityblues.ca/cisvolleyball.
Sunday, February 1
Brock 3 @ Western 1
In their final regular season home game, the Mustangs lost a hard fought battle to the Brock Badgers in four sets (25-21, 17-25, 22-25, 22-25) Sunday afternoon at Alumni Hall.
With the loss, the Mustangs hold a 5-12 record while tied for fourth place in OUA West. Brock's record improves to 8-11 as they remain in third place in OUA West.
"We knew Brock was on a losing streak, but also that it's their last match of the season and that they had a lot to play for" said head coach Melissa Bartlett. "To give them a lot of credit, I think they played very well today. It was a tough weekend for them; it was their third match on the road so we should have had that advantage. Unfortunately we were the ones that looked tired. We didn't play poorly, there wasn't any big area. It just wasn't there."
Kicking off the match was a brief ceremony horouring co-captains Serena Smith and Laura Lytwynec for their respective contributions to the Mustangs throughout their careers.
Smith – originally from Caledonia, ON – has been a starting left side attacker for three of her four seasons with Western. In addition to leading the Mustangs in total attack attempts, she is top three on the team for service aces, digs per set, and points per set. Her other accomplishments include being a two time recipient of the Fran Wigston Volleyball Award – given to the hardest working player on a team – while holding the title of CIS Academic All-Canadian.
Lytwynec – hailing from London, ON – finished off her career with the Mustangs with two consecutive captaincies in her final years. Along with Smith, Lytwynec is top three on the Mustangs in total attack attempts, as well as total digs, and digs per set.
An exchange of points opened up the first set, with Western and Brock still tied at 7-7. Although blocking and error reduction helped the Badgers establish a two-point lead, the Mustangs rallied to quickly erode their deficit and take the lead at 12-10.
At 13-10, the Badgers called the first time out of the afternoon. Returning to the court refocused, Brock knocked out three consecutive points to match the purple and white score.
Reclaiming control of the set, Brock had re-established their earlier two-point lead at 16-18.
Undeterred, Western pulled out a series of strategically placed attacks to reverse the deficit at 22-20. Regaining the serve at 23-21, Western quickly closed out the set at 25-21 following a Badger error.
The second set saw a more energetic and more determined Badger lineup from the very first point. Quickly raking up a four-point lead, Brock was pulling out powerful attacks unseen in the earlier set.
Maintaining the lead at 6-10, the Badgers capitalized on the strength of their blocks to cut off the typically successful Mustang attacks. At the technical timeout, Brock had the Mustangs doubled at 7-16.
At 10-20, the Mustangs called a time out to reevaluate their game plan. Returning to the court, Western outscored Brock using targeted attacks and the serving power of second year Jamie Leidl.
Unfortunately, the deficit was too much for the Mustangs to overcome as Brock took the second set 17-25.
The Mustangs refocused their efforts in the third set, eliminating the unforced errors that put them into the substantial deficit earlier in the match. At 5-3, libero Courtney Sestric led the Mustangs by sprinting and diving across the court to pick up every ball.
Adjusting to the tighter defense, Brock focused on blocking and adding accuracy instead of power to their attacks to help them surpass the Mustangs at 11-15.
Slowly catching up to the NBdgers, Western shaved down the deficit to just two points at 18-20 and forced a Brock timeout at 20-20.
Unable to slow down Brock, the Mustangs lost the third set 22-25 following a kill from Badger Renee Helmer.
With a small two-point advantage over the Badgers early on in the fourth set at 6-4, the Mustangs were desperate to force the match into a fifth set. Working on unforced error reduction, Western was still holding off the Badger advance at 12-9.
A Mustangs timeout was called at 18-16 as Brock began to close in on the purple and white score. Unable to slow the Badger momentum, the fourth set was tied at 22-22.
Ending on a Mustang error, Brock took the final set 22-25.
Lakehead 3 @ Windsor 1
The Lancer women's volleyball team lost a tough four set game 3-1 (21-25, 22-25, 25-23, 19-25) to the visiting Lakehead Thunderwolves on Sunday afternoon at the St. Denis Centre.
With the loss, the Lancers continue to battle for the final playoff spot with the Western Mustangs. The Mustangs fell to the Brock Badgers on Sunday in London.
Prior to the game, the Lancers honoured their graduating seniorsMelissa Smyth and Hannah Robson.
Lakehead's Jennifer Casey has a strong start with multiple kills to give the Thunderwolves an early lead over the Lancers. Windsor gives a good push at the end to bring the set within four points but Lakehead holds on for the win.
In the second, Windsor struggled to focus and made a number of errors early in the set. However, they once again rallied back with seven points to bring the set within a few points but were unable to close out the set.
Shannon Dean stepped up for the Blue & Gold in the third set with some great defensively plays and added some important kills late in the game to lead the Lancers to victory, 25-23.
Unfortunately, Windsor could not bring the momentum into the fourth set and the Thunderwolves rebounded to win the set and the game, 25-19.
Windsor ws led by Dean with 13 kills and 4 blocks, while Robson had 8 kills and an impressive 15 digs. Defensively, the home squad was led by Carleigh Bailey with 19 kills.
RMC 0 @ Ottawa 3
The future of Gee-Gees volleyball had a strong outing in the final regular season home game, closing out a sweep of the RMC Paladins. All 12 players saw significant court time for uOttawa, improving the team's record to 14-3 with two games remaining.
The Gee-Gees middles were strong throughout the match, with both Kira Tome and Helene Gardiner teaming up with Mesret Tamrat, Alix Durivage, and Sophie Chenail in turn. Rookie libero Sabrina Roy started the match and totalled seven digs.
Tamrat led all players with 11 points including nine kills, while Kaly Soro led the Ottawa left side attack with 10.5 points. Middle blocker Nicole Behnke led the Paladins with 12 points on 10 kills.
After a 75-minute delay the Gee-Gees were caught slightly flat-footed in the early going. Ottawa had difficulty landing attacks on the back line, and RMC held an early lead. An impressive save by Kelsie English, wrapping an off-balance hit around the antenna, brought Ottawa even at 12-12 and the Gee-Gees took a lead at 13-12.
Durivage pounded down a middle kill to lead Ottawa into the technical timeout with a two point lead. After the technical, a thundering kill from Kaly Soro and a stuff block by Kira Tome helped Ottawa regain control of the play. Tamrat also scored a big middle kill and an ace to close out the set 25-21.
In the second, RMC again opened up an early lead. A big line kill from Myriam English brought the garnet and grey even at 8-8. English also put Ottawa ahead 11-10, but the highlight of the set came on an RMC over-bump which Kelsie English hammered straight down. From that point onwards, RMC could do little to score and Ottawa rolled to a 25-13 win.
Service was shaky for Ottawa in the third while RMC continued to battle from the service line and on the defensive end, resulting in an 11-10 Paladins lead. Kaly Soro, one of just two starters on the court to open the third set, found an open corner to tie things at 11-11 and Gardiner stretched to tip a tight ball over for 13-13. A run of RMC attack errors opened up a cushion for Ottawa at 18-14 which was enough to carry the day.
