OUA Women's Volleyball Roundup (Nov. 20)
November 17, 2017
Windsor 2 Western 3
LONDON, Ont. – The Mustangs delivered a five set thriller (25-20, 26-24, 24-26, 22-25, 15-13) for their fans on Friday evening in Alumni Hall, ultimately topping the Windsor Lancers for the third purple and white win of the season.
"These long matches early in the season are going to make us better in the long run," said Mustangs head coach Melissa Bartlett. "It's great to see that the caliber of the other West division teams is improving, I think that's going to make us better – these challenging matches."
With the win, Western's record improves to 3-2 while the Lancers sit at 3-4.
Kelsey Veltman's 28.5 points led the Mustangs, while Carly Kimmett followed with 17.5 points as the second highest scoring athlete. Defensively, libero Courtney Sestric and right side Aja Gyimah lead the Mustangs with 24 and 23 digs, respectively.
Rookie Paige Phills was the highest scoring Lancer of the evening, racking up 26 points throughout five sets of action.
The Mustangs claimed the first set by a score of 25-20 after leading the Lancers throughout the entirety of the game.
The purple and white attack showed their strength throughout the set, managing to go on lengthy point runs, at one point leaving Windsor trailing by eight points. Kimmett and Veltman led the Mustangs offensively, each putting up four points.
Windsor was able to close the gap towards the end of the set after a series of unforced Mustang errors slowly chipped away at the point difference.
"What I think we need to clean up is first contacts, and passing," said Gyimah. "We 've got to be a bit focused on defense, pretty much first contacts, once we figure that out we can handle the rest."
The second set was more competitive and saw longer rallies after the Lancers seemingly revamped their defensive game. The improvements allowed Windsor to dictate the pace of the game through much of the set and forced the Mustangs to play on their heels.
While Windsor's defensive game was thriving, the Mustangs struggled to send the ball directly to setter Kat Tsiofas. The fifth year veteran and team captain played an even more substantial role than usual, as she continually called and set smart plays that kept the Lancer defence on their toes.
Gyimah, however, had a standout game in the backcourt in addition to a strong performance in the front. The Scarborough native shouldered the brunt of the defensive burden after becoming a target for Phills, and would become solely responsible for keeping more than one rally alive after continually passing up balls that initially seemed like sure-fire kills.
"It was great to see Aja back, defensively she was lights out tonight, she dug some really tough balls," said Bartlett. "She really came on in set four and five offensively when we needed her, so that was a very senior performance of her."
Bartlett took a timeout towards the end of the set, giving the Mustangs the focus they needed to finish strong and secure a 26-24 victory.
The third set kicked off with a change in the starting line-up, as middle Kate Ferguson joined the floor. Despite the attempt to switch up the chemistry on the court, the Lancers jumped out to an early 4-0 lead.
"I think we went up 2-0 and we got a little complacent in set three to be honest," said Bartlett. "There was some defensive plays that we just weren't ready to make, and we just weren't quite as focused on executing our game plan, so it's just a continuous work in progress."
The Mustangs would storm back and tie the set more than once, only to be pushed back into a deficit as they struggled to combat a thriving Lancer corps.
Rookie standout Phill was instrumental in Windsor's success throughout the set, as she racked up eight kills on her own while also proving to be a valuable asset in the backcourt. The Windsor native led a final offensive push for the Lancers to take the set 26-24 and force a fourth.
"I think she's going to be a really exciting player to watch in the future, she forced us to switch things up defensively because she's very divers as an attacker," said Bartlett of Phill. "She's got a lot of different angles she can use and it certainly showed."
The Mustangs and Lancers traded points to begin the fourth set, with neither team managing to gain momentum over the other.
Both teams had tightened up defensively compared to the previous set, allowing for fewer errors and more continuous play. The Lancers were the first to break out of the point-for-point pattern, racking up a three-point lead before a purple and white timeout interrupted the momentum.
In an attempt to adjust to Western's new defensive coverage, the Lancers offence switched gears. The team began favouring precise attacks that saw them expertly place the ball just out of reach of the Mustangs, making Western scramble and struggle to get clean passes to the setter.
Western's defensive struggles carried over into their offensive game, as Tsiofas had to chase down the ball – limiting the number of plays she could run.
Despite a hot streak late in the set that saw the Mustangs come within one of the Lancers, Windsor took the fourth set 25-22, to send the match into a fifth deciding set.
Western came out with a vengeance to start the final set, jumping out to an early lead before a Lancers timeout interrupted the budding purple and white momentum.
The two teams almost immediately fell back into the familiar pattern of trading points, before the Lancers eventually took a 9-6 lead midway through the set.
Bartlett called a timeout as the set was edging towards completion, and returned her team to the floor more disciplined and focused then they had been all match. The defensive game was tightened up, and as a result the offence began to thrive as the Mustangs took the fifth and final set 15-13.
"We noticed that some of the outside hitters were bringing us down the line, and then we started blocking down the line," said Gyimah about one of the determining factors of the final set. "But it definitely took us until like the fifth set to figure it out."
Source: westernmustangs.ca
Ryerson 3 Toronto 1
TORONTO - In one of their most difficult games yet, the Ryerson Rams took a 3-1 victory over the highly touted Toronto Varsity Blues, remaining undefeated through six games in the 2017-18 regular season. The result handed Toronto their first regular season loss since February of 2015.
Ryerson dropped a very close first set to the Varsity Blues by a score of 25-21, and it was clear that the Rams saw some of the best and most competitive volleyball they’ve seen to date this season against Toronto.
The Rams made a few adjustments heading into the second set, winning by a slim margin of 26-24. As the game continued, Ryerson seemed to settle into the court, their confidence increasing with each passing rally.
Ryerson would dominate the third and fourth sets, winning the rounds 25-20 and 25-16 respectively, and claiming a 3-1 victory in the game.
Though the Rams saw a win in this seemingly close matchup, coach Dustin Reid says the team could have been better.
“I thought we didn’t control the ball all that well in our first and second contacts,” said Reid after the game. “We were a little too quick with it, and we weren’t putting our hitters in positions to be aggressive. I don’t think we played our best volleyball, but we showed some character, and that’s a good step against such a good team like Toronto.”
Libero and fifth-year senior, Julie Longman (Newmarket, Ont.), tallied a season-high 28 digs on the matchup tonight. Longman said that the team can learn from today’s victory against Toronto.
“We didn’t play our best,” said Longman, “which is great knowing that we can still play better moving forward. It just gives us a boost of confidence and the belief that we can do it for future games and even against other teams that we play.”
Looking ahead, the Rams will play their final two games of the 2017 calendar year against Waterloo and Guelph next week.
“There are a lot of things we need to get better at,” said Reid. “As far as the result [today] goes, at this point in the season, it’s great to be pushed and great to be challenged the way we were today.”
Source: ryersonrams.ca
Guelph 1 York 3
The York University Lions women's volleyball team picked up its third win of the season on Friday night with a 3-1 victory over the Guelph Gryphons at the Tait McKenzie Centre.
The Lions raced out to a fast lead in the first set and were up 12-4 early and 16-10 at the technical timeout. They continued to roll in the latter half of the set and took it 25-15 for the early 1-0 advantage.
Fortunes were reversed in the second set as it was the Gryphons who charged ahead early. They maintained their lead throughout the set and took it 25-21 to level the match at 1-1.
The third set began similar to the second as the Gryphons led early and were up 16-13 at the technical timeout. But a strong serving run by Rachel Adams helped the Lions come back, and the pulled ahead down the stretch to win 25-21.
The Lions never trailed in the fourth set, winning the first two points and continuing to build that lead as the set went on. By the end, the were up 25-19 to earn the victory.
Adams was the team's leading scorer with 17.5 points on 15 kills, one service ace and three assisted blocks. Just behind her was Celeste Witzell, who had 17 points on 13 kills, two service aces and four assisted blocks.
Mimi Demski and Chiara Da Silva split setting duties and finished with 20 and 25 assists, respectively, while Cadence Currie led all Lions with 15 digs.
Guelph's leading scorer was Laura Duncan with 13 points, on 11 kills and four assisted blocks. Alex Curran led all players with 33 assists.
Source: yorkulions.ca
Waterloo 1 Nipissing 3
It may be a cliché, but the Nipissing Lakers women's volleyball victory Friday night is what you'd call gritty.
After a close loss in the first set, the Laker's showed their skill, grit and determination and took the match 3-1, winning three straight sets to claim the victory.
Nipissing was first on the board. From here the scores were delivered even, as the teams were neck and neck throughout the match.
Fans knew they were in for a good game between two fairly evenly matched teams after the first set finished with a score of 26-24 for the Warriors.
Into the second set, both teams kept up their energy. It was clear it would become a game of who wanted it more and Nipissing wanted it pretty badly as they reversed the score of the last set, finishing with a score of 26-24.
Waterloo scored first in the third set, trying to take control of the match.
Despite the early deficit, the Lakers bounced back in a big way.
Their energy took over and they began pulling ahead.
With a consistent lead, they took the match 25-18.
With no surprise, the fourth match started as back and forth as every other set, Nipissing slightly in the lead. After some excellent plays by both teams, for the third set in a row, Nipissing managed to overcome the Warriors with a score of 25-23.
The victory moves the Lakers to 3-2 on the young OUA season.
Olivia Robinson led the way with 14 points, Erika Lapierre had 12.5, Annabelle Harvey had 11 and Vic Willars added 10.5 in the victory.
Source: nulakers.ca
RMC 0 Lakehead 3
The Lakehead women’s volleyball team (3-3) took down RMC (1-6) tonight in the Thunderdome in three straight sets (25-15, 25-19, 26-24).
“The Thunderwolves did a solid job preparing for tonight’s game and were on par with their plan and execution”, said Coach Green after the game.
Lakehead started the first set with a 11-5 lead and didn’t look back as they took the first set 25-15.
The Thunderwolves continued their tough play in the second set, winning 25-19.
RMC pushed back in the third, getting a lead right off the bat (10-4). Lakehead persevered and bounced back in an exciting set to win 26-24.
Hammerton finished the night with 30 total assists. Rheanna Geisel had 9 kills, 4 aces and Leah Mousseau had 11 kills, 16 digs.
Source: thunderwolves.ca
November 18, 2017
Guelph 1 Nipissing 3
The Nipissing Lakers women's volleyball team is now 4-2 and have moved into second place in the OUA East Division.
The Lakers made it a perfect weekend as they defeated the Guelph Gryphons 3-1 Saturday night, closing out a weekend that saw them top Waterloo Friday night.
As the game started, Nipissing was first to get on the board. The first few points were back and forth before Nipissing caught a drift and took off.
The Lakers were dominating all over the court. They took the first set with an amazing 25-14 win.
Guelph fought back in the second set, however, forcing the Lakers to step up their game.
The points were back and forth to start, with Nipissing trailing. They stuck with their gameplan and had jumped back up where they belong. With the score was tied 22-22, Nipissing shut Guelph down and took the set 25-22.
After winning two sets in a row, Nipissing was looking to make short work of the Gryphons, but it was clear Guelph wasn't going down without a fight as they battled back in the third set, avoiding the sweep.
The fourth set was made to be a good one with Guelph back in the match and both teams realizing it.
Nipissing took off right away and managed to hold a slight lead until it was Guelph's turn to take the lead for a little bit.
Nipissing was not ready to let the game slip away and stepped up their effort yet again tying the score up at 22-22 again and winning their final set 25-22 and taking the match, 3-1.
The back-to-back wins put the Lakers at 4-2 on the season and in second place in the OUA East Division.
Offensively, the Lakers showed great balance with five players hitting double digits in points.
Cassie Dobson had 14 points, Shayla Kessler had 13, Olivia Robinson had 12.5, Annabelle Harvey had 12 and Erika Lapierre had 10.5 Saturday night.
Source: nulakers.ca
Waterloo 2 York 3
The York University Lions women's volleyball team erased a 2-1 deficit to defeat the visiting Waterloo Warriors in five sets at the Tait McKenzie Centre on Saturday night.
At the beginning of the first set, the Lions were caught off-guard by the Warriors' energy as they rapidly accumulated points. The Lions were able to start bouncing back after a kill by Melissa Smillie, and the rest of the team used this momentum to continue to climb the scoreboard. Kayla Clennon entered the set and delivered a kill that temporarily tied the score 7-7. The Lions stepped up their defensive game and took turns diving across the court to keep the ball in play. They took the lead after the 10th point, and after some nerve-wracking moments where the Warriors came close to overtaking the Lions, the Lions won the set 25-22.
The second set opened with a tight battle, with neither team holding a notable lead for a substantial amount of time. Unfortunately, the Lions began to fall behind, and were trailing 16-12 at the technical time out. After the time out, head coach John May must have said something to spark some magic as the Lions returned to the court with more energy and aggression. They quickly added three consecutive points, which prompted the Warriors' coach to call a time out. The race to 25 points continued, and ultimately the Warriors regained the lead at the end, claiming a 25-23 win at the conclusion of the set to level the score at 1-1.
The Warriors once again raced ahead at the beginning of the third set, getting in three points before the Lions earned their first. The Lions continued to fall behind for a few points before turning things around and coming back to close the gap to 16-12 by the technical timeout. They fell behind again after the time out but managed to regain some traction, though the Warriors still came out with the win at 25-19 and took 2-1 lead in the match.
The stakes were high heading into the fourth set, as it was the Lions final chance to turn things around. The set started the same as the ones before – two teams in close contention, then the Warriors took a noticeable lead, and the Lions caught up and the score remained close. The Lions had a slight lead at the technical time out, at 16-15. The last half of the set was equal parts exciting and stressful and saw the Lions come out the winners 26-24 over the Warriors and tying the match at 2-2.
The Lions came back more determined to win than ever in the fifth set, and had a huge win of 15-8 over the Warriors in the final set to win their fourth match of the season.
Leading the scoring for the Lions was Celeste Witzell with 22.5 points (17 kills, two solo blocks and seven assisted blocks), followed by Sarah Williams with 18 points (17 kills and one service ace). Clennon had 25 digs, the most in the Lions roster. Mimi Demski had the second highest number of digs at 19.
For the Warriors, Kayla Wierts led the scoring with 17.5 points (15 kills, one service ace and three assisted blocks). Sarah Remedios led the Warriors in digs with 19.
Source: yorkulions.ca
Other Scores:
Queen’s 3 Lakehead 0
November 19, 2017
McMaster 3 Brock 2
Riding out the momentum swings of a marathon match that topped two hours, McMaster engineered an improbable victory in St. Catharines for their fifth consecutive win Sunday.
Despite trailing 4-1 to open the fifth set, the Marauders emerged from a timeout the stronger side, edging the Brock Badgers 16-14 to take a 3-2 (26-24, 21-25, 25-20, 23-25, 16-14) decision at Bob Davis Gym.
Brock earned a half point more than McMaster in a match that was too close to call until the final point was decided, led by a 22-point performance from Renee Helmer.
But McMaster ultimately gutted out the victory, moving to 5-1 atop the OUA West standings with an important home date against the Toronto Varsity Blues looming next on their schedule.
Jill Eisenhauer was offensively efficient and a force on the block in leading McMaster with 15.5 points in the win, with 11 kills, an ace and three and a half blocks while hitting 43 per cent.
Making a triumphant return to the lineup on the left side, Aleks Arsovic hit 42 per cent on 11 of 19 versus three errors, while adding two aces and a solo block for 14 points.
Two other Marauders, right side Rachel Woock (14) and middle Maicee Sorensen (12.5) reached double digits in points, while Woock's 13 kills was a team high.
Veteran libero Carly Heath continued to rack up the digs in the lengthy match, leading all players with 17.
Source: marauders.ca
Toronto 3 Trent 1
The University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's volleyball team defeated the Trent Excalibur 3-1 (25-19, 23-25, 25-19, 25-20) on Sunday, November 19 in Peterborough, Ont.
With the win, the Blues improve to 4-1 and remain in second place in the OUA East division.
Second-year left side hitter Brianna Patrick led all players with 14 points off 10 kills, three aces and one block, while adding six digs on the day. Fourth-year veteran Anna Feore notched 11 points and a game-high 18 digs, while rookie Jenna Woock recorded 10.5 points off of eight kills, 1.5 blocks and one ace.
Rookie setter Angelica Hovanessian tallied 32 assists, while sophomore Emma Armstrong added 7.5 points and 14 digs in the win.
Source: varsityblues.ca