By Daniel Rocchi
- Rams win third straight match, retake first place in OUA East
- Ryerson outside hitter Isaac McKeague sets new career high with nine kills
- Rams rookie Riley Anderson gets match-winning kill in Ryerson debut
Ryerson’s men’s volleyball team extended its winning streak to three matches with a 3-0 (25-17, 25-19, 25-19) sweep of the Brock Badgers at the Mattamy Athletic Centre on Saturday evening.
Rams outside hitter Lucas Coleman had a match-high 14 kills and led his team with four service aces and six digs. Fellow outside hitter Isaac McKeague had a career-high nine kills and led all players with four block assists, while setter Adam Anagnostopoulos finished with 41 assists.
Ryerson is now 3-0 since the Nipissing Lakers overtook them for first in the OUA East by beating the Rams on Jan. 21 in North Bay, Ont. The teams have gone in opposite directions since then, with the Lakers riding a three-match losing streak down to fourth in the division. Ryerson, meanwhile, improves to 10-4 and now holds a two-point edge on York for the division lead. The Lions have two matches in hand. Brock falls to 2-9, tied for last in the OUA West.
The Badgers got off to a quick start in the first set, jumping out to a 5-0 lead before the Rams answered with a five-point run of their own. Tied 10-10, Ryerson finally pulled away with a 9-3 run to go up 19-13, eventually taking the set 25-17.
The second set was a back-and-forth affair, with both teams trading fiercely contested points at both the beginning and end of the frame. It was in the middle of the set, though, that the Rams were able to secure the win. Ryerson used an 8-2 run highlighted by a pair of Coleman service aces and three of Brendan Kewin’s 11 kills to build a 16-10 lead at the technical timeout. The Badgers would get within five points of the home squad, but ultimately drop the set 25-19.
Three attacking errors by the Badgers early in the third set allowed the Rams to go on a 6-0 run, giving them all the momentum they would need to take the set 25-19 and seal the victory. Playing in the first match of his Ryerson career, first-year middle blocker Riley Anderson had the match-winning kill.
UP NEXT: The Rams face McMaster—the team that beat Ryerson in last year’s OUA gold medal game—at the Mattamy Athletic Centre on Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 8 p.m.
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