By Naomi Low

The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women’s volleyball team fell to the Ottawa Gee Gees 3-1 on Friday night at the Mattamy Athletic Center (MAC) in a nail biting loss. 

The Gee Gees immediately raced out of the gates in the first frame, securing a 7-3 lead. 

Confident kills and a service ace from one of Ottawa’s key players, fourth-year middle Christine Hachokake, looked to give the team an optimistic start against the Bold but a string of untimely Gee Gee attack errors would bring TMU back into contention at 6-7. 

Landing a crucial kill for her team at 7-7, third-year TMU outside hitter Darcie Buchanan stepped up early in the first set to breathe life back into her team. Suddenly, the Bold flew out to a 10-7 lead after the Gee Gees could not refocus, eventually rallying from behind to take the first frame, 25-17. 

“Your next move is more important than your last mistake,” Buchanan shared post-match.”If you just focus on [the mistake] you’re going to get nowhere.”

Though the Bold were able to recover from their early first-set deficits, their efforts in the second would not be enough to consolidate a lead.

The second frame began much like the first, with the Bold once again playing scoreboard catch-up. Only this time, after coming agonizingly close to claiming the second set at 24-22, the Gee Gees flipped the script with a renewed urgency. 

A singular service error from the Bold’s second-year middle Julia Breen, gave Ottawa all the momentum they needed to seize the possibility of an equalizer. 

Fourth-year outside hitter Audrey Odigie punished the middle of the court, landing a kill immediately after the momentary lapse. The play was quickly followed up by a second consecutive Ottawa kill from second-year middle blocker Jessica Schmid. A TMU timeout was not enough to stop the inevitable, as the Gee Gees would maintain their pressure, stealing the second set, 26-24. 

Head Coach Dustin Reid, who coached his 301st regular-season game for the Bold tonight, had sage words, despite the disappointing loss.

“It’s about not letting one or two or a spell of play be the narrative…that takes a while. A lot of these young players have never faced that in club [volleyball],” said Reid. “You don’t fix it in one day, and the hope is tomorrow we’ll put ourselves back in those positions and be able to be our true selves and live or die with an aggressive and a high level of belief.”

The third set showed such signs of a resilient team as the Bold battled back thanks to gusty kills from second-year outside hitter Hannah Bellai and third-year outside hitter Tyra Krapp. Locked at 18-18 after the Bold battled back from being down 14-8, it seemed as if nothing could touch TMU as third-year outside hitter Kaiya Krahn sank a back-to-back block and kill combo, bringing her team a handful of setpoints at 24-20. 

“Have a mind like a goldfish.” Krahn reflected post-match.”Our team is really good at not focusing on the mistakes but focusing on the really positive moments.”

The Gee Gees would bounce back late in the third frame to nick yet another set, 26-24, placing themselves exactly where they wanted once the fourth frame began. 

“Their aggressiveness and the way they serve and the way they play so…boldly at the end of the sets is probably the most we’ve seen,” Reid highlighted. Such spirit would ultimately make the difference throughout the remainder of the match.

Still reeling from the blow of the second consecutive squandered set, the Bold hit a wall made of Ottawa straight away in the fourth frame. Odigie and fourth-year outside hitter Nicole Hildebrand proved too relentless at the net. Though optimistic attack attempts by Bellai showed promise on launch, the second they came shooting back onto TMU’s end, the Gee Gees began to pull out a definitive lead.

Claiming the final set, 25-16, the Gee Gees rise to fourth overall in the OUA standings, while the Bold drop further down the roster at ninth, posting their fourth consecutive loss this season. While they may be down, they are not out as the team remains encouraged by the chances created against a worthy opponent in Ottawa.

“We’re bound to break our losing streak soon,” second-year, middle, Ayla Cross, assured.

“Tomorrow!” Buchanan confirmed. 

UP NEXT: The Bold meet back at the MAC on Nov. 22 for their last matchup against the Gee Gees. First serve flies at 4:00 p.m.