By Daniel Rocchi
- Rams lose for first time since Oct. 30
- Toronto loses two sets for first time all season
- Ryerson commits 24 errors to Toronto’s 34 but still loses
Ryerson’s women’s volleyball team had its five-game winning streak snapped in a narrow 3-2 (25-22, 19-25, 22-25, 26-24, 12-15) loss to the University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Friday night at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
Middle blocker Theanna Vernon had a team-high 13 kills for Ryerson, while fellow blocker Lauren Veltman and outside hitter Veronica Livingston added 12 each. Setter Kate McIlmoyle had 48 assists and libero Julie Longman provided 17 digs in the losing effort.
Ryerson led 9-8 in the tiebreaker set, but the Varsity Blues strung together five straight points, bolstered by three of Alina Dormann’s game-high 28 kills, to overtake the Rams for the win and improve to a perfect 6-0 on the year. The Rams fall to 5-3 and sit two points back of Toronto for first place in the OUA East.
After falling behind two sets to one, the Rams found themselves tied 24-24 in the fourth on an attack error from Livingston. A kill from Vernon put Ryerson ahead before a bad set by Toronto’s Madelyn Mandryk gave the Rams the two-point spread for the win and a fifth set. It was the first time all year that the Varsity Blues have lost more than a single set in a match.
Ryerson won the opening set of the game, but dropped the next two against the defending OUA and U Sports champions. With six total kills and seven attacking errors in the second, the Rams had a negative hitting percentage in the set.
UP NEXT: The Rams take on the Trent Excalibur on Saturday afternoon at the Mattamy Athletic Centre at 4 p.m. The Excalibur are new to the OUA this season, returning from a multi-year hiatus, and are 2-4 on the year.
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