OUA Women's Volleyball Roundup (Jan. 15)
January 12th, 2018
Lakehead 1 Guelph 3
GUELPH – The Guelph Gryphons women's volleyball team expected some growing pains throughout this OUA season. An extremely young group has shown its inexperience at times. But the Gryphons flashed some killer instinct in their first outing of the new year – and it paid off. Guelph was dominant in defeating the visiting Lakehead Thunderwolves 3-1 (25-16, 25-12, 26-28, 25-15) at the GGAC Friday night.
Lifted by the return of veteran Libby Donevan, who was seeing her first game action of the season after dealing with a foot fracture, the Gryphons overcame early deficits and seized momentum with a good display of power and intelligent play.
"Our whole approach for the second half of the year is to manage our errors," said head coach Paul Funk. "We have some goals for ourselves.
"Our slogan is 'make them play.' We did a fairly good job of that tonight."
Second-year left side play Michaela Hellinga led the Gryphons with 13 kills and 4 aces, while Donevan had a solid first game back, racking up 9 kills and a team-high 6 blocks. Second-year setter Alex Curran topped Guelph in assists (36) and digs (10). Third-year right side Laura Duncan chipped in eight kills.
Donevan's return was big for a young team desperate for wins. The 6-3 senior looked happy to be back on the court and she stood out early, providing key kills and blocks.
"She's not only a veteran but she's also our tallest player," said Funk. "Libby made an immediate impact. She's a player that forces the other team to have to deal with her. Getting her back in the lineup absolutely provides some stability for us."
There was a delay to start the match as both the officials and Lakehead were caught in traffic. Guelph had a legitimate chance to take it in three straight sets but they faltered late in the third as the Thunderwolves scored three straight points for a 28-26 win, which cut the hosts' lead to 2-1. But the Gryphons responded and came out strong in the deciding fourth set. A Hazel Atkins kill spurred a 5-0 run that ended with a an ace from Jessica Gormley for a 17-9 lead. The visitors hit one into the net to give the Gryphons a 22-13 advantage and Hellinga got them to one point away with a timely kill. A Lakehead error on the final point secured a welcome win for Guelph, its second of the season.
The Gryphons had just 18 errors on the night, compared to 31 for the Thunderwolves.
"I was happy with our mental approach aside from sections of the third set," said Funk. "We will still have trouble scoring against some teams in our league but we were hitting the ball hard enough that we forced them into some errors.
"We got enough offence tonight."
Guelph went down 4-1 quickly in the opening set but began to take control with a good mix of offence and defence. Donevan immediately made her presence felt with a couple of early kills and a huge block. With the Gryphons up 15-8, Tara Tanasijevic came up with a sensational dig that enabled the hosts to take the point. Lakehead strung together a few points but Donevan closed it out on her serve, giving Guelph the first set 25-16.
The second set started much the same as Lakehead jumped out to a 5-2 lead. But the Gryphons crept back and tied it up 6-6 on a pair of big serves from Atkins. Hellinga added a big kill in the midst of a 7-0 run, helping Guelph take a 10-6 lead. The team's confidence seemed to grow and another powerful Hellinga kill put the Gryphons up 17-7. Guelph finished it off with a nice block to take the second set 25-12.
The hosts followed the same script by trailing early and at 13-7, they looked in trouble. But the Gryphons chipped away at the lead and after producing a block for one point and then a Lakehead error handing them another, the score was 18-16 Thunderwolves. Hellinga put another one away from the left side to make it 20-17 and Guelph scored two straight after that to get within one at 20-19. The Gryphons had a chance to end the set, and the match, after a long Lakehead serve made it 26-25. But the Thunderwolves reeled off three straight points to force a fourth set.
Source: gryphons.ca
Brock 0 McMaster 3
Opening 2018 the way they closed the year before, the Marauders rolled to an emphatic win, this time at the expense of the Brock Badgers, at Burridge Gym.
Set scores were 25-15, 25-11 and 25-21 in favour of McMaster, who improved to 7-1 atop the OUA West with the result.
Seeing the lion's share of the ball for the Marauders, outside hitter Aleks Arsovic had a match high of nine kills on 20 attempts, while adding three aces and two blocks for 14 points.
Libero Carly Heath paced Mac on the defensive side of the ball, posting 11 digs, while setter Caitlin Genovy notched 28 assists.
McMaster held Brock to just three per cent hitting, while boasting a 34 per cent mark themselves.
Source: marauders.ca
Windsor 0 Toronto 3
Rayn Perry tallied 35 assists in helping the University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's volleyball team to a 3-0 (25-14, 25-8, 25-16) victory over the Windsor Lancers on Friday night (Jan. 12) at Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport.
The win puts the Blues at 6-2 in their season thus far, and moves the Lancers to 5-5.
Perry, a first-year setter from Coaldale, Alta., shone in her first career start, averaging 11.67 assists per set, while adding five points off of three kills, one ace and one block, and three digs in the victory.
Third-year right side hitter Alina Dormann led all players with 17 points off of nine kills, two blocks and six aces, while also adding a team-high 16 digs.
Rookie Jenna Woock added 13 points on nine kills, three aces and one block, while Anna Feore added 11 points, all coming from kills, and 11 digs in the win.
Sophomore standout Emma Armstrong tallied eight kills and 11 digs, while libero Sophia Currier had 13 digs on the night.
Lancers Lexi Pollard and Paige Phills led their team with six points each.
Source: varsityblues.ca
Western 0 Ryerson 3
TORONTO – The Mustangs faced the greatest challenge to OUA has to offer on Friday evening, falling to the nationally ranked and undefeated (9-0) Ryerson Rams in three sets (15-25, 13-25, 14-25).
Lauren Veltman was the highest scoring athlete of the game, with 17 points across the three sets. Fellow Ram Cailin Wark earned 13 points, while Kelsey Veltman led the Mustangs with 10.5.
With the loss Western holds a 5-3 record to remain in second place in the OUA West division. Ryerson's record moves to 9-0 and allows them to continue as the only team in the league with a perfect record.
The Rams got off to a quick start in the first set, immediately building up a solid point difference that kept the Mustangs at bay.
Ryerson's Veltman played the biggest role in helping the Rams establish their lead, taking over at the base line and forcing the Mustangs out of system. Western's athletes were able to get hands on the serve, but struggled to send a controlled pass to their setter. As a result, net calls plagued the Mustangs throughout the first half of the set.
Also troubling the purple and white defensive effort was Veron's influence at the net. The fourth-year middle had no problem utilizing the traditionally strong Mustang blockers to her advantage, chipping the ball off Western's block.
The Mustangs began to claw their way back into the game and stall the Ryerson victory as the end of the set inched closer as the Rams block began to falter. Carly Kimmet and Melissa Langegger were the primary targets of setter Kat Tsiofas, with both athletes being able to hit through or around the towering block.
Despite the late burst, the Rams would take the first set by a ten-point margin at 15-25.
Western continued to struggle against Ryerson in the second set, with serving errors and net violations taking a toll on the purple and white game.
Ryerson's attackers continued to send the ball deep into the six position, while their blockers effectively tripped up those of the Mustangs. Head coach Melissa Bartlett tried to add more height into Western's lineup by moving middle Kate Ferguson into the right side.
The second set saw the Rams take the lead on the very first serve and maintain a firm hold. Despite seeing substantial rallies that featured top talent from both teams, the lopsided score leaned heavily in favour of Ryerson as they took the second set 25-13.
An altered lineup took the floor for the third set, but the presence of Mustang mainstay Kelsey Veltman would have the greatest impact. The Brampton native had her best set of the game as she consistently earned a point off the attack while also cutting off some of Ryerson's top athletes with her block.
Her strong performance was matched by the Ryerson lineup, who recorded a team-wide .348 hitting percentage in the final set. Lauren Veltman in particular had a strong set and can be credited with earning the bulk of points that came off an attack.
Western struggled with communication issues unseen in the previous sets, forcing errors both defensively and offensively. When combined with their technical, and serving errors, the Mustangs handed Ryerson several points that could have changed the course of the game.
The Rams ended the match in three sets, taking a 25-14 victory to continue their undefeated streak.
Source: westernmustangs.ca
January 13th, 2018
RMC 2 Nipissing 3
It was far from easy and far from how they drew it up, but the Nipissing Lakers women's volleyball team earned their fourth straight victory Saturday afternoon.
The Lakers built up a 2-0 lead in the match, before the visiting RMC Paladins stormed back to fourth a fifth set, but Nipissing was able to bounce back and take the win to improve to 6-2 on the season.
The Lakers started slow throughout the match, but they managed to straighten things up quickly, winning the first set 25-17 to begin the match.
Another slow start had Nipissing playing catchup, but it didn't take long for them to regain control of the set and match, claiming the second set 25-19.
Despite being down 2-0, RMC refused to quit and avoided the sweep, winning the third set 25-22.
In the fourth set, the Lakers looked to lock down the win, while RMC looked to stay alive.
Down 21-12, the Lakers started heating up and closed the gap, but the Paladins avoid the collapse, won the set and forced the teams into a fifth and deciding set.
A stronger start from the Lakers had them up 8-3 at the technical timeout, but again, RMC battled until the end.
Nipissing held a 13-11 lead late and held on for the 15-12 victory.
Annabelle Harvey had a strong game, earning eight kills and 14.5 points, Shayla Kessler added nine kills and 12 points, while Cassie Dobson chipped in with six kills and 11.5 points in the victory.
Source: nulakers.ca
Queen’s 2 York 3
The York University Lions women's volleyball team won an absolute thriller on Saturday afternoon, coming back from two sets down to defeat the visiting Queen's Gaels 3-2 in an important OUA East match at the Tait McKenzie Centre.
The win helped the Lions keep pace in the extremely tight OUA East Division, where four teams are tied for second place with six wins. The Lions improved to 6-2 with the victory, while the Gaels dropped to 6-3.
The match did not begin the way the Lions would have hoped. In the first set, the Gaels raced out to an 8-2 lead and, while the Lions were able to cut the deficit to one at 20-19, they were never able to level the score and fell 25-22.
The second set began in similar fashion, with the visitors again building a 7-2 lead early. The Lions got it to 9-8, but then the Gaels scored eight straight points to take a commanding 17-8 lead that eventually became a 25-20 win and a 2-0 advantage.
The tides turned quickly in the third set and this time it was the Lions who pulled ahead. Up by as much as six, the Lions stayed ahead down the stretch and took the set 25-21. The fourth set was a much tighter affair, with neither team able to stretch the advantage to more than four points. Tied 22-22 late, the Lions won three straight points to take the set 25-22 and send the match to a fifth.
The Lions won the first three points of the final frame and didn't look back, winning 15-12 to complete the comeback.
Outside hitter Melissa Smillie was tremendous throughout the match, finishing with a game-high 20.5 points that included 19 kills, and she also had 10 digs. Chiara Da Silva put up 46 assists to go along with 6.5 points and five digs, and Sabah Kalim led the Lions with 12 digs.
The Gaels' leading scorer was Julia Wiercigroch with 20 points on 17 kills, one service ace and four assisted blocks.
Source: yorkulions.ca
Lakehead 0 Waterloo 3
The Warriors had to battle in the first two sets but took full advantage of multiple errors by the visiting Lakehead Thunderwolves in the third to pick up a straight set win.
Waterloo won the first two sets 25-21, 27-25 before cruising in the third 25-6 to take the match 3-0.
It was the first match of 2018 for the black and gold as they improved to 4-6 on the season. Meanwhile the visiting T-Wolves dropped to 3-6.
After a solid opening set where Waterloo owned the middle attack, Lakehead came back in the second and made the Warriors work. With several delays due to rotational problems and controversial calls, the set lagged on a bit but Waterloo found their legs down the stretch to take it 27-25.
From there, the black and gold gained valuable momentum from six straight serves to start off the third set from Claire Gagne (Cambridge/) and cruised to the finish line.
Kayla Wierts (Drayton/) led the Warrior attack with 14 kills and two service aces. The fifth year right side also had two blocks.
Claire Mackenzie (Vancouver/) and Samantha Warner (Ayr/) each had seven kills while Kelsey Caza (Waterloo/) had a very efficient day with five kills on just nine attempts. Caza was also a wall at the net with six blocks while Gagne had three.
Defensively Jenna Gravina (Burlington/) had 10 digs while Sarah Remedios (Ajax/) and Mackenzie each had eight.
For Lakehead it was Meghan Routier who did most of the damage with a team high nine kills.
Source: athletics.uwaterloo.ca
Toronto 0 Ryerson 3
The University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's volleyball team dropped a 3-0 (11-25, 14-25, 18-25) decision to the No. 7 nationally ranked Ryerson Rams on Saturday night (Jan. 13) at Mattamy Athletic Centre.
With the loss, the Blues drop to 6-3, while the Rams improve to 10-0 on the season.
Fourth-year left side hitter Anna Feore led the Blues with 9.5 points off of eight kills, once ace and an assisted block, while also adding a team-high eight digs on the night.
Third-year right side hitter Alina Dormann recorded 6.5 points off of five kills, one ace and an assisted block, while rookie setter Rayn Perry tallied 12 assists and six digs.
Source: varsityblues.ca
Western 3 Brock 1
ST. CATHARINES, Ont. – After starting off 2018 with a loss to the Ryerson Rams on Friday night, the Mustangs bounced back on Saturday, topping the Brock Badgers in four sets (22-25, 25-18, 30-28, 25-19) at the Bob Davis Gymnasium.
The last meeting of the two teams saw a five-set Badger victory, resulting in the first loss of 2017.
With the win, the Mustangs avenge a first half loss to Brock and improves Western's record to 6-3, keeping them in second place in the OUA standings behind the first place McMaster Marauders. The Badgers' 2-6 record puts them in a tie for sixth place in the same division.
Just as she has all season long, Kelsey Veltman led the purple and white offence with 13 kills. She added another several points to the board for Western with an ace, a pair of solo blocks, and a pair of assisted blocks to total 17 points on the night. Aja Gyimah followed as the second highest scoring athlete, tallying 15 points on 11 kills, one ace, one solo block, and four assisted blocks.
Renee Helmer anchored the offence for the Badgers, racking up 15.5 points. Darby Taylor added 10.5 to the total, while Lauren Condotta rounded out the top three with an additional ten points.
The Badgers opened up the first set with a showing of strength and making the Mustangs scramble. Helmer and Taylor proved themselves to be among the most lethal servers on the court as Western struggled to handle the balls being sent over the net. As a result the Mustangs were forced to send free balls over the net in order to continue the rally and allowed Brock to send up near-perfect passes.
Danielle Grasman and Melissa Langegger almost led the Mustangs to a stunning comeback victory, erasing an eight point deficit to bring the game to within two points before the Badgers were able to push through and take the first set 25-22.
Western's strong play in the latter portions of the first set flawlessly carried the momentum into the following frame, easily taking the first five points.
Four of those points can be credited to Grasman's performance from the service line as the Badgers were unable to handle her serve. Only one ball made it back over the net as an overpass, but was promptly slammed back into the Badger half of the floor by Veltman.
The 6-6 middle would repeat the play several more times throughout the set, adding a point to the scoreboard every time.
Brock struggled to adjust to the increased competition coming from the Mustangs lineup, with the team being buried under a 10-point deficit just one set after they had established an identical lead over Western.
However, unlike the previous set there would be no substantial comeback threat as the Mustangs took the second frame by a score of 25-18.
Set three saw a more even effort between the two teams as neither team was able dominate as they had in either of the previous sets.
Both sides traded points for the majority of the game, with the Badgers relying on their strong serving just as they had done in the first set. The Mustangs countered by continuing their strong blocking effort, complimented by a diversified offence.
Then, as the end of the set loomed, a series of unforced errors began to plague both teams, with a pair of purple and white net violations and a missed Badger serve bringing the score to 24-22 in favour of the Mustangs.
Returning to the floor both teams battled for every point, with the Mustangs taking a narrow 30-28 victory.
The small point differential carried over into the fourth set of the match, as the two teams traded points fairly consistently in the early going
Taylor took control of the Badgers offensive game, and established herself as the clear favourite of setter Emily Armstrong. Condotta followed in terms of attack attempts, but the limited variety gave Western's blockers they could capitalize on.
Mustang blocks had been a consistent threat since the second set, but the fourth set saw them play a bigger role in keeping down the Badgers. Brock wasn't as successful in tracking the Mustang attackers however, as Tsiofas continued to run the diverse offence that led them to success earlier in the match.
Western would eventually take the fourth set 25-19, claiming the match and avenging their earlier loss to the Badgers.
Source: westernmustangs.ca
Windsor 0 McMaster 3
Buoyed by balanced offence, the Marauders played their way to a second sweep in as many days at Burridge Gym, taking down the Windsor Lancers.
Set scores were 25-19, 25-20 and 25-19 in favour of McMaster (8-1), who retained their two-match lead atop the OUA West with the result.
Veteran outside hitter Aleks Arsovic once again led the way for the Marauders, thumping down a match high of 11 kills and adding an ace and a solo block for 13 points.
Finding offensive success through the middle, the duo of Hailey Kranics and Hailey Kranics both had 10 kills and 12 points in the win.
After seeing an early lead of as much as six points disappear by the onset of the technical timeout in the opening set, where they trailed 16-14, the Marauders bounced back from the break in emphatic fashion, winning 11 of the next 14 points to race to the finish line.
Arsovic's ace brought up set point, before Jessie Nairn fired down an ace on set point to seal it.
Roles reversed in set two, as the Marauders overhauled a deficit to edge the technical when Joanna Jedrzejewska killed for 16-15.
With her team angling for a two-set lead, Sorensen duly dusted off a party ball to bring up four of them, and connected cleanly on the ensuing slide play to end the set.
A pair of aces helped the Marauders to a 6-1 lead to open the third, but the Lancers slowly worked their way back, and leveled things at 18 after an errant attack from Sorensen.
That glimmer of hope for Windsor was fleeting, however, as Mac promptly reeled off seven of the next eight points to close out the match and avoid extra volleyball, winning it after a pair of kills from Jedrzejewska and Jill Eisenhauer.
Source: marauders.ca
January 14th, 2018
Queen’s 3 Nipissing 0
NORTH BAY, Ont. (January 14, 2018) – The Queen's Gaels (7-3) were victorious this afternoon in a three-set game against the Nipissing Lakers (6-3). The final scores of each set were 25-14, 25-21 and 25-23 respectively.
GAME FLOW
The first set of the game started out very evenly until a serving rally from Sierra Hardy (Oakville, Ont.) put the Gaels in the lead. The Tricolour continued to work together, and another serving rally by Danielle Corrigan (North Vancouver, B.C.) lengthened their lead to nine points with kills from Isabelle Korchinski (Anmore, B.C.) and Shannon Neville (Cambridge, Ont.). The Gaels capitalized on every opportunity they were given and won the set on a Lakers attacking error. The score of the first set was 25-14 for Queen's.
The Gaels kept the intensity up in the second set, holding their own in a tight start. Kills from Korchinski and Neville kept the score close until another serving rally for Corrigan pushed the Gaels into the lead. Queen's took an eight-point gap with fantastic defence and teamwork. The Gaels went on to win the set with a score of 25-21 on a kill by Natalie Crews (North Vancouver, B.C.).
The third and final set of the game favoured an early lead for Queen's. Great offensive efforts by Crews, Neville and Julia Wiercigroch (Mississauga, Ont.) kept the lead for the Gaels and kept the Tricolour on top. The pressure put on by the Gaels was too much for the Lakers, and Queen's took the third set with a kill by Korchinski. The score of the set was 25-23.
Source: gogaelsgo.com
Lakehead 0 Waterloo 3
The Warriors put forth a complete team effort on Sunday afternoon at the PAC to sweep aside the Lakehead Thunderwolves for the second straight day. Six different Warriors registered at least five points in the victory.
Waterloo took the opening set 25-19 in convincing fashion before coming from behind in the second to win it 25-17. Waterloo was down 12-6 in that second set but went on a 19-5 run to take a commanding 2-0 lead. The Warriors maintained their momentum in the third set, winning it 25-17 to claim the match 3-0.
Claire Mackenzie (Vancouver/) led the way in a solid team effort with 13 points on 10 kills, two service aces and two blocks. Samantha Warner (Ayr/) had 7.5 points including an impressive seven block effort while Kayla Wierts (Drayton/)had seven points and Brooklyn Gallant (Cambridge/) six.
On Waterloo's side of the ball Jenna Gravina (Burlington/) and Sarah Remedios (Ajax/) kept many plays alive, with 12 digs each.
Claire Gagne (Cambridge/) and Katrine Eistrat (Toronto/) combined for 28 assists in the match.
Source: athletics.uwaterloo.ca
RMC 1 York 3
The York University Lions women's volleyball team picked up its second win of the weekend and fifth straight in the regular season on Sunday afternoon against the RMC Paladins, defeating them 3-1.
The first set remained close up until the end of the match, when the Lions were finally able to pull ahead and finish four points ahead of the Paladins at 25-21.
The second set began much differently. The Lions raced ahead of the Paladins and soon found themselves leading 8-3. However, in a quick turn of events, the Paladins caught up to the Lions, scoring six consecutive points to tie things up 9-9. The Paladins had taken the lead 16-12 by the technical time out, but the Lions played hard for the remainder of the set and were able to claim the set 25-22.
The Paladins picked up their only win of the match in the third set. They led right from the start, and at one point had an eight-point lead over the Lions. They won the set 25-19.
In the fourth set, the Lion took back control of the court. Their offensive plays found as many holes in the Paladins defence as possible, and maintained a strong defence which made it incredibly difficult for the Paladins to make any kills. The Lions ended the set with a huge win over the Paladins at 25-10 and claimed the match 3-1.
Celeste Witzell led the Lions in points, earning 18.5 over the four sets (11 kills, three service aces, three solo blocks, three assisted blocks). Melissa Smillie led the team in digs, finishing with 12, and added 8.5 points.
Kara Stephan (11 kills, three service aces) earned the most points for the Paladins with 14, followed by teammate Logan Rook with 13 (eight kills, two service aces and four solo blocks).
The Lions are now tied for second place with the Queen's Gaels in the OUA East Division with 14 points each, and the Lions have a 7-2 season record.
Source: yorkulions.ca
