By Kaden Nanji
The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men’s volleyball team fell to the Western Mustangs in four sets on Jan. 6 at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC).
The two sides are coming off the heels of another game they played against each other on Friday night at the MAC. Saturday’s matinee matchup played out similarly to the previous match with Western almost always in control as the Bold struggled to mount a comeback.
“When we’re behind, it’s hard to come back in this sport,” said TMU interim head coach Niko Rukavina.
The first set started off as a back-and-forth affair as both teams exchanged big hits. A vicious kill by second-year Mustangs middle Kendall Homenick opened the match. Third-year TMU outside hitter Kai Higuchi answered back with a hit that electrified the packed crowd.
The Mustangs followed the hit with a 4-0 run due to a set of big kills and a series of mistakes by the Bold, culminating in an attack error by third-year outside hitter Jacob Walker, forcing the Bold to take their first timeout.
Coming out of the timeout, Higuchi and Walker displayed incredible hustle on back-to-back plays to cut the lead to two. The following play featured a gruelling rally that had players from both teams sprawling across the floor in an attempt to come away with a point, which ultimately ended in favour of Western.
Although the Bold pulled off some big hits towards the end of the set, the Mustangs’ aggressive start allowed them to take the first set with ease, 25-16.
This marked the sixth time in nine games that the Bold dropped the first set, of which, they lost each game.
“When we…win the first set or first eight [points], that’s when we know we’re confident to win,” said Rukavina on the first set woes.
The second set started akin to the first, with Western quickly getting off to a 7-3 lead. The early run was capped with a massive kill by third-year middle Jonah Millard, who was set up by fourth-year setter Josiah Esau. The St. Catharines, Ont. setter finished with a team-high forty-one assists en route to the Mustangs win.
Despite two big kills by fourth-year right side Alex King—part of a nine-kill set—the Mustangs maintained their composure, bouncing back and extending the lead to six.
After two nifty kills by Higuchi and King that snuck past the massive Mustangs wall, the squad and crowd seemed invigorated. The Bold followed up with three straight kills by third-year middle Bobby Tang, Walker and King, cutting the lead to three.
After an attack error by the Mustangs, Walker continued the momentum with a service ace to cut the lead to just one. However, a handful of mistakes by the Bold saw the Mustangs extending their lead back to four.
At 17-13, a hammer by first-year outside hitter Liam Cobb—followed by a block on the following play—cut the Bold deficit to two.
“When we’re behind, it’s hard to come back in this sport”
“The untapped potential [of Liam] is enormous. I think he has a really bright future and definitely some of the things he’s doing in first-year are very good for our program,” said Rukavina.
Each team traded big hits going into the home stretch with the Mustangs always maintaining at least a two-point lead. A vicious dagger by fourth-year Western left side Blake Fenwick put the budding Bold away in the second set, 25-21.
In the third frame, the Bold carried on the aggressiveness from the latter half of the second set, getting off to a swift 6-2 lead. Higuchi launched back-to-back dominant kills and a thrilling rally ended with an emphatic slam by Walker, which had spectators roaring.
“I think it’s just the way we start,” said Rukavina, “When we start with a couple of points in a row, we play with confidence, and it showed there.”
A fantastic dig by King, which was controlled by Walker and perfectly executed by Higuchi, extended the Bold’s lead to seven and forced the Mustangs to take a timeout.
Out of the huddle, the Mustangs began to climb out of the hole after two attack errors by the Bold, but King hit back with two strong kills to put the Bold back in the driver’s seat.
Walker followed King with two kills of his own, increasing the deficit to double digits. Third-year setter Taylor Wenzel continued the Bold run with two stellar service aces.
The Bold closed out the third set on a dominant 12-3 run, culminating in a service error by the Mustangs, giving the third set to the Bold, 25-12.
“We really tried to forget about the first two sets and we gave it our all,” said King on the Bold’s third set performance.
The fourth set began the same way the previous set ended—with a service error by the Mustangs. However, Millard soon bounced back with two kills to give the Mustangs the lead.
The teams rallied back and forth with the Mustangs always maintaining a sizable lead, extending as high as eight.
The Bold continued to fight with third-year libero Tony Tanouchev showing his athleticism by doing the splits multiple times to save the ball.
His passion seemed to invigorate the Bold who followed up with two kills. Yet, at the 18-11 mark, the Bold and the Mustangs went point-for-point and the Mustangs eventually won the set 25-18 to secure the match victory.
TMU continues to look for their first win of the calendar year as they prepare to take on the winless Trent Excalibur on Jan. 12.
“We’re going to go back, watch a lot of video, have a good week of training and treat [Trent] like any other opponent,” said Rukavina.
UP NEXT: The Bold head to Peterborough to take on the Trent Excalibur on Jan. 12. First-serve flies at 8:00 p.m.
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