By Kaden Nanji
The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men’s volleyball team suffered a loss to the University of Waterloo Warriors at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) Wednesday night in a difficult five-set showdown.
Both teams came into the contest hot, each winning their last three games. The Bold began the match firing on all cylinders but their execution tailed off as the match went on.
“We executed our game plan at the start […] but Waterloo pushed back and we didn’t have a response ready,” said Bold interim head coach Niko Rukavina.
TMU started off with a strong 7-0 run to start the game, playing stellar defence to stop the attack-minded Warriors.
Waterloo remained resilient and fought back with a 5-0 run of their own. The first set continued as a back-and-forth battle between both teams, with the Bold finally going on an extended run to end the first set, 25-16.
The second followed a similar pattern, with both teams taking turns going on runs. After a 15-9 Bold lead, a slew of attack errors by TMU allowed the Warriors to close out the second set, 25-21—despite a small run sparked by outside hitter Jacob Walker who finished with a game-high 21 kills.
The third set ran similarly to the first, with the Bold starting off with a quick 5-0 lead. Bold middle Omari Young proved to be the difference-maker in the third, recording a set-high five kills and two service aces. With a newfound spark, the Bold closed out the third set 25-17, with Walker going in for the final kill.
“When [Omari’s] on and bringing energy, it’s a huge addition to us,” said Rukavina. “We have to find ways to get him the ball as much as we can.”
Waterloo accumulated 11 kills through their first 15 points in the fourth set, while the Bold continued to make costly tactical errors. Although they led in kills, the home side finished with eight service errors in the set, which allowed the Warriors to take the fourth, 25-22.
“There were times when we were high and times when we were low and we just couldn’t stay stable,” said Walker.
The fifth set started off incredibly competitive, with each team going point-for-point for the first four points. However, with a series of kills and a number of attack errors by the Bold, the Warriors soon took the lead and rode away with it to win the final set 15-8. With this, they extended their win streak to four games and snapped the Bold’s three-game win streak.
TMU continues to make a push for the playoffs as they get set to take on the University of Toronto Varsity Blues—a team known for their offensive capabilities—this Saturday.
“It’s a big game,” said Walker. “It’s do-or-die, so we got to bounce back big.”
UP NEXT: The Bold host the University of Toronto Varsity Blues Saturday, Feb. 4 at the MAC. First-serve is set for 8 p.m.
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