Bold fall to Gryphons in four sets in pre-season opener

By Tristan Forde

The TMU Bold women’s volleyball team were defeated in four sets by the Guelph Gryphons in their first pre-season match of 2024-25 season at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) on Saturday evening

A tight start to the game saw the Bold go point for point with the Gryphons. After the Gryphons put a few points together, first-year middle blocker Rayanna Amos-Ross Fisher gave the Bold their first big run with a series of blocks. That net defence combined with the quick movement of fourth-year libero Mary Rioflorido kept TMU within three points of the Gryphons. 

Nonetheless, the Bold needed more to break through in the first. A few quick and smart decisions from Guelph’s fourth-year setter Alexa Shields to get around TMU’s block combined with the noteworthy vertical and spiking strength of first-year outside hitter Jordan Vang allowed Guelph to pull away from TMU, ultimately leading the Gryphons to win the first set 17-25.

Going into the second set, fourth-year outside hitter Scarlett Gingera broke through the Gryphons’ block, earning the Bold an early 6-1 lead.

The Bold remained dominant throughout the set, with first-year setter Jasmine Safar, second-year outside hitter Kaiya Krahn and Gingera leading the way to a 17-10 lead. A well-timed timeout call from Gryphons coach Paul Funk gave the visitors just the break they needed in order to close the gap, evening out the score at 20-20. 

At that point, Safar caught the Gryphons off guard when she expressed her dual capability at setting and hitting with her left hand. Despite receiving a yellow card for an interference to the game during a substitution toward the end of the set, the Bold powered through to take the set 25-23.

The third set saw both teams come in with new lineups, though Gingera and Krahn remained on court to give the Bold strong hitting options. Krahn gave Bold a very early start with her powerful kills. 

Back-to-back errors from the Bold then gave Gryphons control of the game. Gryphons fourth-year libero Payton King managed to pick up all of the Bold’s attacks and create opportunities for the Gryphons to hit back, which they did. 

The Gryphons then focused their blocking on Gingera, forcing the Bold to adjust. Once the score reached 15-7 for the away side, the Bold finally broke through and looked to be building a comeback but ultimately fell short. 

A well-timed spike from Gryphons second-year middle blocker Alexandra Nicholson-Clarke shut the Bold’s run down. The Bold tried to change things up with few substitutions and a libero swap but it was not enough as a few unforced errors sent them to an 18-25 defeat in the third set. 

The Bold tried to break through in the fourth set with a hot start. Powerful spin serves from Krahn and then a forceful spike over the block from first-year outside hitter Hannah Bellai kept the Bold close. However, they struggled to carry momentum through the set. A series of errors by the Gryphons allowed the Bold to stay within one at 10-11. 

After a timeout, Bold head coach Dustin Reid called upon second-year outside hitter Darcie Buchanan who immediately made an impact with a powerful spike, shifting the momentum in favour of the Bold.

The two teams then went back to trading points with the score at 22-22, each dealing hits, blocks and errors. A combined block between first-year middle blocker Alya Cross and Bellai shut down the Gryphons offense.

With a few errors from the Bold, the score reached 26-27 in favour of the Gryphons. Fourth-year middle blocker Nikina Bear-Lowen then finished off with a spike over the Bolds block, earning the Gryphons a 3-1 win and handing the Bold a loss to kick off their exhibition schedule.

The two teams played a fifth set in light of other canceled games over the weekend. Both teams experimented with new lineups and held a close match, with the Bold ultimately coming out on top 15-13. 

UP NEXT: The TMU Bold continue their pre-season campaign at a tournament hosted by the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees at Montpetit Hall. They will return to play at the MAC on Nov. 7 in their regular season home opener versus the University of Ottawa.