By Daniel Carrero
The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women’s volleyball team defeated the York Lions in four sets on Friday night, ending a 15-game losing streak at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC).
The Bold hosted Ontario Volleyball Association Day—an initiative to connect the volleyball community through Volleyball United. The MAC was decorated with lots of white, red and pink heart-shaped cutouts to set the Valentine’s day theme night. While on the court, the Bold used red ribbons and clips, as well as themed pre-game shirts.
Despite York being higher in the Ontario University Athletics standings, the Bold found their one and only true love, a win.
“I think in the last three to four weekends, we just wanted to play really well and then see what happens,” said Bold head coach Dustin Reid. “We haven’t really been able to reach that level…Having our style of play be the reason why we won, really excited about that.”
TMU gained the early advantage after two kills by fourth-year outside hitter Scarlett Gingera and an attacking error by second-year Lions outside hitter Victoria Herrington to bring the score to 7-5. The Lions were forced to call for a timeout as they aimed to retaliate all efforts.
The Bold, nevertheless, maintained the winning margin. Continuing efforts of Gingera, graduate setter Jasmine Safar and second-year outside hitter Kaiya Krahn extended the gap and forced the Lions to call for a second timeout at 21-17. This time, the timeout proved successful as York shortened the difference to one point.
The Bold gathered their thoughts after calling their first timeout of the game and despite the Lions tying the set at 24-24, Gingera tooled the ball off a block and secured the first set.
The Bold continued to excel throughout the second set. Their dominance cemented even more after Gingera dug a tough serve, allowing Safar to set the ball to first-year middle Julia Breen, who found herself without any wall to go past. The MAC erupted in emotion, setting the tone for the rest of the match.
At the 20-11 mark, the Lions gained some composure and scored five unanswered points, prompting the Bold to call a desperate timeout. TMU bounced back, scoring the final five points and securing the set at 25-18. With the victory, the Bold won two sets in a game for the first time since Nov. 8, 2024, against the Ottawa GeeGees.
Going into the third period, Mark Heese, a former Canada National men’s beach volleyball player and founder of Volleyball United, announced a donation of $1,000 to the Canadian Mental Health Association.
The Bold were one set away from winning and finally breaking their 15-game losing streak—their worst run since the 2010-11 season, which ended with 16 straight losses.
“It would have been sad [if we lost this game]. But we know the direction we’re going as a program, and I’m glad that I’m not gonna get fired if I just took that equation,” said Reid.
But breaking this streak would become more challenging as the Lions began the third set in the lead and continued until the 11-8 mark, when the Bold called for a timeout.
This proved to benefit the Lions as they scored another four points, including two consecutive service aces by fourth-year libero Brooklyn Parliament.
First-year Bold outside hitter Hannah Bellai and fourth-year outside hitter Kylie Ferguson came in for second-year outside hitter Marta Cerovic and fourth-year outside hitter Jia Lonardi after a second timeout to try and regain the lead, but the Lions read TMU’s intentions and completely shut them down.
Herrington finished the set off at 25-11 with a strong service ace that caught the whole team “playing a little nervous.”
“One thing about York, they’re not gonna beat themselves,” said Reid. “So they were able to be a bit more aggressive with their serving. Got us in trouble more.”
The Bold restated their presence on the court in the fourth set thanks to capitalizing on the Lions’ persistent service and passing errors.
After tying the game at 10-10, an error from third-year outside hitter Julia Typa and three points from Krahn propelled the Bold into the lead and force York to call for a timeout.
The Lions shortened the lead to three points, but the Bold were determined not to let the win get away. After a long brawl of three chances blocked by York, Krahn pushed the ball toward the back of the court and secured a point at the 17-14 mark. It proved a pivotal point in the game that showed the emotion the Bold put into the win.
From then on, the Bold was finally setting up their Valentine’s date, a warm candlelight dinner with the win.
First-year middle Rayanna Amos-Ross Fisher was the one who made the first move as she did everything needed in the middle of the court. She finished the game with eight kills—an all-season high.
“York’s a team that doesn’t help the middle a lot,” said Reid. “They have really good middles themselves, but they don’t get extra blockers there often, so you got to pass the ball well enough dig the ball well enough to use your middles.”
The Bold remained on track after back-and-forth action, but Amos-Ross Fisher finished the game with a strong block down the middle on Parliament, finishing the set at 25-21.
It was the Bold’s first win since Nov. 7, 2024.
“We’re so happy because it’s a great way to end the season after such devastating losses, for sure,” said Amos-Ross Fisher.
The Bold are not only looking forward to the last game of the season but also looking to what’s next for the team that is going through a transition year.
“Next year, I think you can look for high energy. A lot of exciting things are happening behind the scenes,” said Amoss-Ross Fisher. “Can’t tell you too much, because it’s going to be a surprise. I want to say we’re going to come out swinging for sure.”
UP NEXT: The Bold will face the Lions in the second game of the doubleheader on Feb. 15 at the MAC. First-serve flies at 1 p.m.
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