W-VOLLEYBALL ROUNDUP: Nipissing upsets Ottawa for first OUA win

Friday, October 17

Western 0 @ McMaster 3 (25-17, 25-20 and 25-16)

The Marauders kept a lid on a young Western roster, and came away with a fairly routine three-set win to open their conference season on Friday night.

Set scores were 25-17, 25-20 and 25-16 for the Marauders, who showed composure in maintaining their level of play and never allowing the Mustangs to grab momentum. Joanna Jedrzejewska led all scorers with 14.5 points in the win, while second-year setter Caitlin Genovy totalled 30 assists in her first competitive start for the Marauders.

McMaster caused chaos from the service line throughout Friday's match, tallying 14 aces through three sets, led by Genovy and Jedrzejewska with four apiece. That cutting edge at the line spurred the Marauders to frequent scoring runs, creating the distance they needed to see out sets comfortably.

While Jedrzejewska and fellow outside Lauren Mastroluisi handled the bulk of the bulk of the offensive touches, middles Maicee Sorensen and Taylor Brisebois were brutally efficient with their share of the ball. Sorensen converted nine of 12 attacks versus just a single error for an average of .667, while Brisebois was similarly 8-13 against two errors (.462).

The two were particularly effective when asked to slide out wide, pushing the pace against the Western block.

Source: Western Mustangs

Guelph 0 @ Ryerson 3 (25-16, 25-21, 25-15)

TORONTO – The Ryerson Rams women's volleyball team was firing on all cylinders on opening night, sweeping the Guelph Gryphons (25-16, 25-21, 25-15) at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.

Third year hitter Veronica Livingston (Kelowna, B.C.) had a game-high 13 kills to lead the Rams offensively while team defence helped pace the Rams to victory.

Theanna Vernon (Scarborough, Ont.) had quite a debut in the Rams uniform as the rookie middle was in on three blocks in the first four points of the game. Vernon also added six kills on the evening.

The Rams headed into the first set technical timeout up 16-13 on the scoreboard but lost a key component to their offence when Kristine Yan (Markham, Ont.) landed awkwardly at the net and was forced to leave the game.

Rallying around their fallen teammate, the Rams finished the set on a 6-0 run to take it by a score of 25-16.

Ryerson fell behind in the second set and trailed by three at the technical timeout. Not playing their best volleyball in the second, the Rams regrouped during the technical and began to dominate in the second half of the set. Ryerson took their first lead of the set at 19-18 when Chelsea Briscoe (Georgetown, Ont.) and Livingston teamed up for a block and went on to complete the comeback by taking the set 25-21.

Ryerson's offence was efficient in the third set, tallying 16 kills and just three errors to cruise to a 25-15 win to finish the Gryphons in straight sets.

"We played terrific," said head coach Dustin Reid following the game. "It has to be said that to watch your teammate go down injured in the first set isn't easy…so for the players to stay focused after that says a lot about our maturity."

The Rams faced the Gryphons in the preseason and came out on the losing end, something that Emily Betteridge (Whitby, Ont.) thought helped the team on Friday.

"It feels really good (to win), especially for the home opener. We definitely did our homework after we played Guelph in Ottawa and came off that game thinking we had a lot of things to work on and I think we put them all together and it felt really good out there."

The Rams finished with 38 kills to just 29 for the Gryphons and tallied seven service aces. Madison Dedecker had a team-high ten kills in the losing effort. Kristen Almjhell recorded a game-high 15 digs for Guelph.

Source: Ryerson Rams

Saturday, October 18

Ottawa 0 @ York 3 (26-24, 26-24, 25-12)

The York University Lions women's volleyball team swept the No. 4 nationally ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees in straight sets in their season opener at the Tait McKenzie Centre on Saturday (Oct. 18).
 
The Lions won 26-24 in each of the first two sets and 25-12 in the final set.
 
Both teams made good plays in the beginning of the first set. The Lions were aided by a series of mistakes by the opposition.
 
Spikes from Abby Ganzhorn (Markham, Ont.) gave the Lions an early lead. Middle blocker Michelle Pierce (Windsor, Ont.) made a vital block before the timeout as the Lions led 13-11.
 
Ottawa tied the score at 17-17 as the Lions committed a few mistakes. Eventually, the Gee-Gees turned a deficit into a lead.
 
The lead did not stand long, however, as the Lions caught up to equalize the score at 24-24. Pierce emerged as the hero again as she blocked a spike to score the set-winning point.
 
Tension in the second set rose as Ottawa dominated the early game, leading by a score of 5-1 before the first timeout. Sophie Chenail ended a long rally that kept both teams on their toes.
 
The Lions were able to equalize at 12-12 and take a 16-15 lead before the next timeout.
 
Ottawa seemed to have found its rhythm, overtaking the opposition with a lead of 22-19, and they eventually ran it to 24-22 and had a chance to take the set. However, the Lions were relentless, catching up and extending the set with another deuce at 24-24. Mistakes by the Gee-Gees proved critical as the final point of the set was from a block that went wide off the line.
 
The third set saw the Lions comfortably take the lead at 8-3 before the first timeout.
 
Blocks by setter Kirsten Dillon (Surrey, B.C.) and middle blocker Brittney Hopley (Thornhill, Ont.) proved crucial to the Lions' domination. Before the next timeout, the Lions lead the Gee-Gees 16-5.
 
Ottawa increased their pace and shortened the deficit at 10-19. However, the Gee-Gees suffered due to a lack of communication within the team and the Lions defeated them 25-12 in the final set.
 
Ganzhorn finished as the team's leader with 13 points, on 11 kills and two service aces and also added 11 digs, while Hopley was just behind her with 12.5 points on nine kills and 3.5 blocks.
 
Ottawa's leading scorer was Myriam English with 13 points on 10 kills, two service aces and one block, and she also had 12 kills.

Source: York Lions

RMC 0 @ Waterloo 3 (25-9, 25-13, 26-24)

The Warriors women's volleyball team made short work of the opponents from RMC in their home openers Saturday evening. The black and gold were kicking off their first season under the new leadership of Richard Eddy and it will be one he does not forget. Waterloo won in straight sets (25-9, 25-13, 26-24). The Warriors move to 1-0 to start the season.

The Warriors never let RMC gain any momentum in the first two sets, making a statement early with the lopsided score lines. Waterloo struggled to close out the third game but did so on the backs of captain Natasha Spaling (Drayton) to take the straight sets victory.

Spaling had an outstanding match for the black and gold, collecting 9 kills along with 5 assisted blocks. Shannon Lodoen (Waterloo) had 2 kills and 7 service aces along with 7 digs. Casey Clunas (Harriston) chipped in with 7 kills and 8 digs while teammate Taylor Gray (Winnipeg) had 6 kills and 3 assisted blocks for the Warriors.

What was even more outstanding than the offence was the team's formidable play on the defensive side of the ball. The Warriors held RMC to a negative killing percentage and only 2 unassisted blocks. Waterloo will have lots to build on moving forward but this game will be a strong confidence builder for the squad.

Source: Waterloo Warriors

Windsor 0 @ McMaster 3 (25-23, 25-9 and 25-12)

The Marauders could not have asked for a better start to their conference season, as McMaster closed out a perfect opening weekend with a sweep of the Windsor Lancers at the Burridge Gym on Saturday.

Set scores were 25-23, 25-9 and 25-12 in favour of the Marauders, who withstood an impressive first-set effort from the Lancers and held to a high standard throughout their second consecutive win.

Joanna Jedrzejewska was the offensive star once again for the hosts, posting a whopping 20 points on 15-28 hitting against just four errors (.393). Her low float serve was a weapon for a second straight night, and she reaped four aces as a reward.

The second-year hitter was hardly the only bright spot for McMaster, however, as veterans Taylor Brisebois and Lauren Mastroluisi also posted sterling numbers. Brisebois was 4-9 hitting with a single error (.333) and had four aces of her own, while Mastroluisi was 9-21 against just two errors (.333) and similarly pitched in four aces. McMaster matched their team total of 14 aces from a night ago, versus just six service errors.

Libero Khira Adams was impressive once again, posting a game-high 12 digs for the winners and providing a stable first pass to set the table for the Marauder offence.

Saturday's first set was very competitive, with the two teams trading a number of long rallies and defending well. Windsor held the Marauders to just a .051 hitting percentage as a team in that set, but were edged by the slightest of margins and hurt by a late service error that brought up set point.

The Lancers proved unable to maintain their high level of play in the second, and they quickly fell off the Marauders blistering pace. With McMaster's high-ball outside attack purring along, the team made just two hitting errors in the set, and accomplished a .556 hitting percentage en route to a 16-point victory in the second.

That trend continued in the third, where Windsor showed very little of its early fight. Outside of a late charge with the Marauders on the brink of victory, the Lancers were unable to slow Jedrzejewska and the Marauder attack, as McMaster ran away with their second sweep in as many days.

Source: McMaster Marauders

Toronto 3 @ Lakehead 0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-15)

The University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's volleyball team defeated the Lakehead Thunderwolves 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-15) in their season opener on Saturday, October 18 in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
 
Third-year leftside hitter Caleigh Cruickshank had nine kills to lead the Blues, while fifth-year Charlotte Sider had eight kills and six digs in the win. B.C. natives Tessa Davis and Jennifer Neilson both had seven kills each, and setter Madelyn Mandryk had 31 assists.
 
Jen Casey led the Thunderwolves with six kills and 12 digs, and Kailin Robinson added five kills and five digs in a losing cause.

Source: Toronto Varisty Blues

Ottawa 2 @ Nipissing 3

It was a historic day for the Nipissing Lakers women's volleyball team as they earned their first OUA victory Sunday afternoon.

The Lakers twice fought back from being down a set to earn a thrilling and deserved five set win over the Ottawa Gee-Gees.

Lakers head coach Marc LaRochelle was extremely thrilled with his team's effort and said getting a win is huge.

"I am extremely proud of the character our team showed today," he said. "We were resilient and determined, battling through many momentum changes throughout the match."

The Gee-Gees opened things up with a win in the first set, despite the Lakers playing well and on a number of occasions closing the gap.

Down 1-0 after a 25-20 opening set loss, the Lakers found the win column and edged the Gee-Gees 25-23 to even things up.

Once again, the Gee-Gees got the jump on the Lakers and took the third set, winning 25-19 before the Lakers once again evened things up.

Another 25-23 victory for Nipissing had the teams heading to a fifth and deciding set.

LaRochelle said his team has room for improvement and isn't resting on this win, but he said the way they battled is great to build on.

"Although our execution was up and down throughout the match we never quit and focused on our game plan," he explained.

Lakers right side Lindsay Vanderweide led the team in points, as she picked up 21 during the match, thanks to 13 kills, six service aces and two blocks.

Middle Brittany Ardron and Christina Caruso both chipped in with eight kills, while Jade DeCoste, playing at less than 100 per cent, had a strong game setting.

She picked up 32 assists, along with three service aces.

Newcomer Erike Lapierre, seeing her first OUA action, provided five kills during her time on the court, helping balance out the Lakers offence.

The win is big for the Lakers who had a tough first season in the OUA.

But all that is behind them now, as they sit with a 1-0 record after their opening weekend.

LaRochelle and the team will look to build off this win when they hit the road next weekend.

"We will certainly enjoy this victory for a day and then roll up our sleeves and get back to work to face Guelph and Waterloo this weekend," the veteran coach explained.

Source: Nipissing Lakers

Windsor 1 @ Brock 3 (25-22, 19-25, 25-17, 26-24)

ST. CATHARINES, Ont. - The Brock University women's volleyball team (1-0 OUA) opened the 2014 OUA regular season with a 3-1 victory over the Windsor Lancers (25-22, 19-25, 25-17, 26-24) at the Bob Davis Gymnasium Sunday afternoon.

"This was a great way to start off the regular season," said head coach Dale Ann Melnick. "We had a strong pre-season and this group of players really believe we can have a big year. Renee and Lauren have gelled right from training camp and it showed today how strong they are on offense." 

Brock newcomer Renee Helmer led the Badgers offense finishing with a match-high 25 kills and 18 digs for the double-double. Katie Murray collected 10 kills and seven digs while setter Lauren Stirling was shy of a triple-double recording 45 assists, nine kills and nine digs. Abby Jenkins and Maddie Brown chipped in with six and five kills. Libero Karlinna O'Leary registered 21 digs in the victory.

Source: Brock Badgers