By Adam Button
Ryerson’s women’s volleyball team might be undersized and inexperienced but they are beginning to show promise.
The team earned its second win of the season against Waterloo on Saturday, then nearly upset second place Western on Sunday.
“Saturday was a big relief,” said rookie power hitter Tara Di Guiseppe. “We had to shake that monkey off our back. We knew we had the talent to win but we haven’t been able to do it for awhile.”
The Rams first win came in their first game of the season.
Lately, however, the team has begun to show signs of life. the team is almost entirely first and second-year players and head coach Arif Nathoo says their results will continue to improve as they gain experience.
“Pretty soon we’re going to run out of things to do wrong,” he said. The team did little wrong against Waterloo, the cellar dwellers of the western conference, earning a convincing 3-1 victory (25-21, 19-25, 25-20, 25-21). The Rams carried that momentum to London, where they were leading the Mustangs before fizzling in the final two games to lose 3-2 (25-20, 24-26, 21-25, 25-16, 15-8).
“We just flatlined,” said Di Guiseppe whose jump serve frustrated defenders on the weekend.
Nathoo credited the win and narrow loss to effective, error-free defence.
“I’m very happy with the way we’re playing defence,” said Nathoo whose team still has a narrow shot at the playoffs. Even if the team doesn’t squeak into the post-season they will have their entire starting line-up returning next season.
“I can see a pretty bright future for this team,” said Di Guiseppe. “I think we have a lot of potential and I can feel it developing already.”
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