By Avari Nwaesei
The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women’s volleyball team lost the first game of a weekend double-header against the Guelph Gryphons at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) on Friday evening.
Looking to break away from a rough stretch of games on Pride Night, the Bold delivered a persevering attitude but ultimately lost the match 3-0. The Gryphons—who sported a 2-12 record heading into the game—handed TMU their eighth straight loss.
“We have to show up and compete the way that we can, and that’s all we can do,” said first-year outside hitter Rian Lenarduzzi.
TMU started off the first set with neck-and-neck scores but gained an upper hand over the Gryphons after first-year Guelph outside hitter Sloane Fortin crossed over the attack line mid-spike. The misstep was all the Bold needed to pull ahead.
Graduate setter Jasmine Safar and first-year middle Rayanna Amos-Ross Fisher worked in tandem to pull the team ahead to a steady three-point lead. However, their efforts proved insufficient. After second-year outside hitter Kaiya Krahn made a defensive error while TMU was three points ahead, Guelph mounted a run and evened out the score to 23-23.
The Bold scrambled to get ahead again but were unsuccessful, ending up with a tie again at 24-24, putting the game into a deuce. Fired up by their one point lead, Gryphons’ third-year left side Sophia Kalbfleisch delivered a spike that fourth-year Bold libero Mary Rioflorido wasn’t able to receive, giving Guelph the win in set one.
Set two showed a turning of tables as it was entirely dominated by the Gryphons, who were able to keep up a six point lead for the majority of the game.
The Bold tried to start their comeback at 24-16 after second-year Gryphons middle blocker Alexandra Nicholson-Clarke served into the net. Seizing the opportunity, second-year Bold outside hitter Darcie Buchanan tipped the ball over, keeping up the momentum as a series of defensive errors by the Gryphons brought the score to 24-21.
“We have to take care of our side, control what we can control and not be afraid of losing,” said Lenarduzzi.
TMU’s jump in points, however, proved to not be enough to take over the middle set, as Guelph won again with a score of 25-21 after Rioflorido mis-passed the ball. The Bold once again were unable to uphold a strong enough defence to receive what Guelph was throwing at them and lost their grip on a close set.
“Sometimes we hold back in the moments we need to seize,” said Lenarduzzi.
TMU and Guelph spent most of the third set going point-for-point with multiple ties. This set saw a magnitude of failed hits from both teams.
Not only was this one of the more rough sets for spikes, the Bold disputed a kill delivered by Nicholson-Clarke at the start of the set. Their efforts proved to be fruitless as the Gryphons got to keep their point.
Later in the set, Rioflorido crossed the attack line and received a line violation, breaking a 14-14 tie.
A timeout called by Bold head coach Dustin Reid allowed them to get two points back from Guelph, bumping them up to a one-point difference. Nevertheless, errors and inconsistency kept them behind.
The Bold’s defence was unable to keep up with Guelph’s attacks. Safar made an incredible diving dig but the team ultimately couldn’t save a tip over.
“This game meant a lot, especially to our seniors, because it was going to be a decider for the playoffs.”
The speed from Nicholson-Clarke’s next big hit broke past the Bold’s defence and Safar was unable to receive it, ending up in a missed pass. Later in the set, a spike delivered by Nicholson-Clarke once again made its way through a block, then a dig by Scarlett Gingera failed to revive the play, bringing the game to a score of 23-21.
Gryphon’s fourth-year setter Alexa Shields brought the game to a close with a service ace that left the score 25-22. In the end, TMU’s defence once again missed the mark, prohibiting them from going the extra mile to secure each set.
With this being their eighth consecutive loss, the Bold may not have a chance at the playoffs.
“This game meant a lot, especially to our seniors, because it was going to be a decider for the playoffs,” said Lenarduzzi. “So I think that’s what we need to continue to strive for and drive forward in the next games to come.”
The Bold team has been doing better in their second games of the weekend for the past three weeks, leaving the result of their second game with Guelph up in the air.
“I think as we’re trying to find ourselves, we’re not always being as aggressive as we could be,” said Lenarduzzi.
UP NEXT: The Bold look to bounce back with a victory in the second game of the double header against the Guelph Gryphons on Jan. 25 at the MAC. First-serve flies at 1 p.m.
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