Banner Season: Varsity Blues set to defend Quigley Cup title against burgeoning Badgers bunch

Toronto (via Toronto Varsity Blues) - The Toronto Varsity Blues and Brock Badgers have claimed their spots in the Quigley Cup final.

In the day's opening semifinal, the University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's volleyball team earned a chance to defend their provincial title on home court following a thrilling 3-1 (25-22, 16-25, 26-24, 25-20) victory over the Western Mustangs in OUA semifinal action.

Blues head coach Kristine Drakich was in high spirits following the hard-fought victory: “I’m really proud of the way the team played. It was a really tough match, it was a battle. One of the things we worked on was our defence and our defence came really well for us at the end there. We stayed our course and I’m really just proud of everybody and the effort put in.”

Alina Dormann was once again an offensive prowess for the Blues, as she led all players with 19 points for the Blues, notching 17 kills and two blocks, while adding 11 digs on the night.

Fifth-year left side hitter Caleigh Cruickshank had seven kills, 11 digs and four aces. Fellow left-side Hope Kotun was a key contributor on defense, recording 13 digs.

Veteran middle Anna Licht notched seven kills and two blocks. Jenna Woock was also a force to be reckoned with at the net, notching five emphatic kills to get the home crowd going.

The Blues got off to a ruthless start, establishing an impressive 13-point lead at the first set technical timeout. Dormann and Woock were key offensive contributors early on, as the pair proved too strong for Western’s defense. The Mustangs narrowed the deficit to three late in the set, but Toronto held their nerve to seal the win.

The second set began with the teams going hammer and tongs, an entirely different start to that of the first set. The Mustangs then opened up a three-point lead at the technical timeout and continued their run all the way to the end of set, with the final score finishing 25-16 in favour of the visitors.

Toronto began the third set in the same form as the first, with Western calling an early timeout after going 6-0 down. Composure was key for the hosts, as they held on to the lead at the technical timeout. The Mustangs then sparked an impressive fightback to level the scores at 18-18 and ultimately went ahead 24-22, creating two set point opportunities. Despite this, Toronto had been no stranger to comebacks this season, and scored four straight points to stun the Mustangs and take the third set.

With the Blues one set away from glory, the hosts began the potential deciding set in fine fashion by opening up a 6-2 lead. The Mustangs narrowed the Blues lead to one at the technical timeout, but it was Toronto who would come out on top and book their place in tomorrow’s final at the expense of the visitors.

The Brock Badgers women's volleyball team, meanwhile, have advanced to the Quigley Cup final following a 3-0 (25-22, 25-16, 25-15) victory over the Guelph Gryphons in OUA semifinal action. With the win, the Badgers have also qualified for the U SPORTS National Championship for the first time in the program’s history.

Badgers head coach Steve Delaney was full of praise for his players after booking their place at the U SPORTS National Championship: “It’s a pretty special moment for the girls, especially because there were a lot of current players who went through some hard times before I began coaching the team. We were tied for last two years ago, and now two years later we have been able to overcome that and make it to nationals, so I’m really happy for those girls.”

Fourth-year right-side hitter Darby Taylor was an offensive prowess for the Badgers, as she led the team with seven kills on the night. Laura Condotta and Grace Pyatt were also key contributors in attack, recording six and five kills, respectively.

Player of the match Emily Armstrong was the catalyst for the Badgers offence, notching 21 assists over the course of the game. Armstrong also tallied two blocks during the contest.

Libero Aleiah Torres stayed composed in the back row to lead the team in digs with 12. Condotta and Armstrong also registered double figures in digs, with the pair chalking up 11 each.

Pyatt stayed big at the net and recorded three blocks to lead the team in that category. She also co-led the team in aces, with the fourth-year middle and Armstrong both scoring two each.

Both teams were going at the first set hammer and tongs early on, with Brock taking a three-point lead at the first set technical. The Badgers ended up pulling away late in the first and sealed a 25-22 victory to get them off to the perfect start.

Following a strong finish to the first, the Badgers showed no signs of slowing down in the second, as they established a comfortable seven-point lead midway through. Darby Taylor was a force to be reckoned with throughout the set, with her kills propelling the Badgers to a 25-16 second set victory.

A potential deciding set saw both teams come out strong, but it was the Badgers who would open up nine point lead at the technical timeout and ultimately, seal a 25-15 third set win and book their place in the Quigley Cup final, and at the 2020 U SPORTS National Championship.

Brock will play Toronto in the gold medal match tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m., at Goldring Centre, with the Badgers in search of their first-ever OUA title.