By Noah Curitti
The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women’s volleyball team fell to the Waterloo Warriors for the second straight day in a final score of 3-0 at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC).
The Bold, who lost to the Warriors by the same score on Friday, saw more of the same issues as they did the night before. With their 13th straight loss, TMU moved to a 3-15 record on the season while Waterloo soared to 13-5.
It was a special day at the MAC, as fans gathered for the “Every Child Matters” match. While players donned orange Every Child Matters shirts pre-game and on the bench, after the land acknowledgement, an Indigenous artist performed to open the match.
The day was important for third-year outside hitter Adyson Wilson, who is Ojibwe from Rainy River First Nations in Treaty 3 and one of the first Indigenous players to ever play for the TMU Bold volleyball team. She organized the themed game.
“That door has never been opened. All of my teammates are all very welcoming and learning of my culture, which is amazing,” said Wilson.
Wilson also highlighted how it is important that the school has games like these since it is situated on Indigenous land.
“My grandpa is a residential school survivor, so to honour him with a game makes me speechless. I have no words, it’s amazing,” said Wilson.
The first set started with an impressive rally between the two teams but it was Waterloo who capitalized and scored the first point. Waterloo’s attack quickly became a standout in the set but their defence was what gave them an edge, with a double block extending their lead to 9-3.
TMU got some momentum back when Wilson took advantage of a free ball and sent a thunderous strike into the middle of the court, cutting the Warriors lead. Although it was looking good for the Bold, Waterloo’s defence and communication stopped all of TMU’s chances to score.
Waterloo dominated this game, with notable stats including 34 kills to TMU’s 18 and just six attacking errors, 33 assists and 50 digs.
The Warriors took the first set with a score of 25-13. Bold head coach Dustin Reid credited the way the visitors played.
“Waterloo plays a style of game where you have to play a very specific way to make it tough for them. Some poor starts set you behind the eight ball and it was really hard to comeback,” said Reid.
The second set featured more of the same from Waterloo. They picked up where they left off in the first set, scoring on the first rally. The Warriors kept rolling, but this time, the Bold stayed close. Two big kills from fourth-year outside hitter Scarlett Gingera and back-to-back blocks from second-year middle Elise Pridmore helped the Bold tie the set at 10-10.
TMU was finally stringing things together when the Warriors’ offence found a roll yet again. A service error from first-year Bold middle Julia Breen gave Waterloo ammo as they pushed the score to 17-14, causing TMU to call a timeout.
Waterloo continued to strike, pickpocketing the Bold defence as part of a run of six straight points. The Bold tried to fight back by bringing in second-year outside hitter Darcie Buchanan, who provided a kill and great double save before putting her body on the line, taking a spike to the face in an effort to keep the Bold in the game. Although her efforts were heroic, the Warriors took the set 25-16 thanks to a 10-2 run.
Waterloo’s defence was huge this set, turning strength at the net and on the ground into strategic offence. Reid believes dealing with such a style of play is an area of improvement for the Bold.
“[Waterloo] are a strong defensive, strong serving team and with these more skill-based defensive teams, we have not been able to keep our offence at that level. I want us to perform more consistently over sets,” said Reid.
The third set started just like the first set, with an exhilarating rally that ended with Waterloo taking the point. TMU responded well with kills from Buchanan and first-year middle Ayla Cross but that was all they generated. Waterloo, the triumphant team today, ran away with the set on the back of a mix of high-level offence and defence. In what felt like no time, they held a 17-7 lead.
Defeat started to set in for the Bold at this point, as the game came to a solemn conclusion. A serve into the net would end it for TMU as the Warriors took the final set 25-13 and achieved another 3-0 sweep.
Standout Warriors players included first-year setter Adyson Kelly who made 31 assists—many to her sister, fifth-year left side Avery Kelly, who had nine kills—and second-year left side Rachael Meilikhan, who recorded a game-high 11 kills. The Kelly sisters had another rock-solid game after a very strong performance the night before.
While the Warriors are looking towards the Ontario University Athletics playoffs, the Bold are looking forward to next season and to put their 3-15 record in the rearview mirror.
Despite the record and no victories since November, Reid said this season has had some positives.
“We’re disappointed in our results in the second half [of the season], but as far as developing our young players and trying to give our veteran players a chance to compete and lead, I feel very good about that,” said Reid.
UP NEXT: The Bold seek to end the season on a good note in a double header against the York Lions next weekend at the MAC. The first serve is set for 6 p.m. on Feb. 14.
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