By Adriana Fallico
The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women’s volleyball team was eliminated from the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) playoffs on Friday night.
After the Bold grabbed a two-set lead following consecutive 25-16 wins, the Badgers stormed back to take three straight sets for the 3-2 victory at Bob Davis Gymnasium.
With the win, the Badgers are one victory away from their third consecutive Quigley Cup.
The Bold headed into the OUA semi-final as the underdog, while the Badgers finished first in the OUA standings and are the second-ranked team in the country.
However, the comeback wasn’t unfamiliar territory for Brock.
The two-time reigning OUA champions pulled off the same feat after finding themselves in a two-set hole in last year’s Quigley Cup final against the Queen’s Gaels.
The Bold struggled to receive serves early in the opening set, but then took a four-point lead to force a Brock timeout. TMU dominated the remainder of the set and pulled away from the two-time reigning Quigley Cup champions, ultimately winning the frame and silencing a rowdy Brock crowd.
Third-year outside hitter Scarlett Gingera, fifth-year outside hitter Lauren Veltman and fourth-year outside hitter Julie Gordon all tallied three kills in the first set and carried the offensive load throughout the game.
The team carried their opening set momentum into the second, rallying 15 kills and a .419 hitting percentage.
Despite starting the second down 4-1, the Bold found their rhythm and tied the game at 12.
Shortly after, TMU went on a 5-0 run to regain their lead and never looked back.
The Bold spread out the Badgers throughout the set, enticing them to play to the side and leave the middle of the court open for a kill. The Badgers couldn’t generate any offence, as their hitting percentage was a measly .069 in the second set.
After the Bold won the second set, the momentum looked to be fully in their favour as they were on the precipice of booking their ticket to the Quigley Cup final and the home side struggled to find their footing.
Yet, the Badgers came out strong at the start of the third set. Brock quickly took a 6-2 lead, prompting Bold head coach Dustin Reid to call a timeout to settle down his side.
Despite a close score throughout the set, the Bold struggled to break through. After a series of rallies, the Badgers won their first set at 25-22—slowly carving into TMU’s set lead.
The beginning of the fourth saw a tight battle between the teams. However, Brock caught a run to a 10-6 lead, causing the visitors to call a timeout.
From that point forward, the Badgers came back to life and looked like the second-ranked team in the nation once again.
The Bold couldn’t crack the Badgers’ defence as they committed 11 attack errors—the most they took all game.
Brock cruised to a commanding 25-13 win to force a deciding fifth set.
In the do-or-die frame, TMU struggled to regain the offensive power they had in the early goings of the match. Gingera and Gordon collided off a Brock serve to give the Badgers an ace—a moment that defined the Bold’s struggles to regain control.
With the home side one point away from pulling off the comeback, first-year outside hitter Tyra Krapp’s first serve flew into the net, signalling the end of the Bold’s season and the Badgers victory.
UP NEXT: Eight players are departing the Bold as they head into the off-season.
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