By Trevor Carter
The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women’s team fell to the University of Toronto (U of T) Varsity Blues three sets to one Saturday night in front of a packed house at The Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC).
Coming off of a weekend sweep over the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC), the Bold were looking to continue their hot streak against U of T but were shut down by a powerful Varsity Blues offence.
“They have very heavy left side hitters and I think at times it was a bit too much for us,” said TMU libero Mary Rioflorido. “I think we should give them a lot of respect for that, they played well.”
It was back and forth early on in the first set, a common theme throughout the match of the Toronto rivals. The Bold sprung out to an early 6-3 lead thanks to a timely kill and block by TMU middle Ashley Ditchfield, forcing The Varsity Blues to take their first timeout of the game.
“I thought Ashley played really well,” said Bold assistant coach Brett Hagarty. “We’ve really been trying to get our middle way more involved in our offense and I thought we did a really good job of that tonight.”
Despite pressure early on in the first, U of T came back swinging, with some huge kills from outside hitter Hope Kotun. Along with some strong serving, Kotun got another one of her 19 kills on the night to seal the first set for the Varsity Blues 25-23.
Some strong defensive efforts from the Bold kept it close early in the second, including multiple diving efforts from outside hitter Mikayla Sherriffs—who at one point went crashing into the TMU bench to keep the play alive.
However, a strong serving run from U of T’s Olivia Zhu put the Bold back on their heels, putting the visitors ahead 18-14. Combined with some defensive miscommunication, TMU quickly found themselves in a 23-16 deficit before eventually dropping the set 25-17 on a serve from Varsity Blues’ Jasmine Safar, increasing their lead to 2-0 in the match.
The Bold came back strong in the third set. They forced their way to a 14-7 lead, with help from some stellar defence and serves from setter Sarah Zonneveld.
TMU’s Bethany Smith and Scarlett Gingera hammered home a few more kills to pad their lead helping the Bold take the third set 25-21.
Aces were exchanged in the fourth, including one from Sheriffs, who recorded the point to tie it 12-12. Eventually, U of T’s strong serves and relentless offence got the better of the Bold and gave them a five-point lead late in the set.
But the TMU squad didn’t go down without a fight. Ditchfield gave the team some life with a spiked kill to make it 24-20.
Ditchfield is just one of the talented players who have stepped up to fill the place of injured star Julie Moore. Hagarty said the team is hoping to have some more information in the coming weeks on when they can expect to have Moore back on the court.
Despite dropping the final set 25-20 with the Varsity Blues taking home the 3-1 win, the night was far from a loss.
People from all corners of the TMU and volleyball community came out to support Pride night at the MAC. The bleachers were filled to the brim with students, alumni and volleyball fans, buzzing with energy and armed with rainbow paraphernalia—including Bold branded Pride shirts.
The night was an effort to raise awareness and inclusion of the LGBTQ2S+ community within sports and the city, with proceeds going towards the 519 space for change.
“I think it’s really special that we were able to hold something here, and hold a space for that and be very representative of what our university, and what our team stands for,” said Jyoti Ruparell.
Ruparell was the spokesperson for the women’s volleyball Bold Pride initiative, which is focused on amplifying the voices of those who often go unheard, especially in the world of sports.
“Definitely a personal night for myself, 14-year-old me is very, very happy and very proud right now,” said Ruparell.
UP NEXT: The Bold head on the road to take on the York University Lions on Feb. 11 at the Tait McKenzie Centre. First serve is set for 6 p.m.
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