Rams to host OUA Final Four after win over Warriors
TORONTO, Ont. - A high-calibre and virtually errorless performance propelled the Ryerson Rams to a dominant 3-0 (25-14, 25-14, 25-15) victory over the Waterloo Warriors on Saturday afternoon at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
With the quarter-final win over Waterloo, the Rams officially advance to the OUA Final Four tournament that will be held at Ryerson on March 9th and 10th.
The Warriors had an edge early in the first set, but the Rams adjusted well and never looked back. The team had only four errors in the first two sets of the match, tallying impressive offensive statistics in that timespan.
The Rams would take a 25-14 win in both the first and second set of the matchup.
"Not making errors and staying aggressive gave us the ability to make it difficult for [Waterloo]", said head coach Dustin Reid after the match. "If you can be aggressive and not make mistakes, that's a great combination."
The Warriors would play their best volleyball during the third set of the matchup, but Ryerson pulled away after the third technical timeout to claim a 25-15 set win and a 3-0 match victory.
With no errors and eight kills on 12 attempts, hitter Theanna Vernon (Scarborough, Ont.) lead the game with a .667 hitting percentage. First-year setter Alicia Lam (Oakville, Ont.) saw the start for Ryerson, tallying an impressive marker of 37 assists in three sets.
"I think we collectively played really well as team," said Lam. "We executed the game plan we went over the whole week. Playing as a team, not individually, really helped us. Not to mention, we had a lot of fun tonight."
Looking ahead, the Rams will take on the Western Mustangs next Friday, March 9th at 6 pm at the Coca-Cola Court in Toronto. Lam is confident that the Rams will see success during the Final Four.
"If we come out and play as a team, we will do really well next weekend."
This will be the first time the Rams host the women's volleyball Final Four championship. Joining the Rams at the Final Four are the Toronto Varsity Blues and McMaster Marauders who will face each other in the second semifinal.
Source: Ryerson Rams