By Jaden Ho
The Rams men’s volleyball team defeated the Trent Excalibur in straight sets on March 2 at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC).
The Rams, who won their first straight sets game since Nov. 13, were led by lights out kills by from outside hitters Jacob Walker, Alex King, and Nicholas Hudson.
A slow start from the Rams put them back 4-1 early in the first set, leading to a tight battle that ended 25-22 in favour of the Rams.
“I think we came into this game overconfident,” said Walker. “But once we figured out what we were doing we came back.”
Outside hitter Kai Higuchi and first-year setter Taylor Wenzel both put together big serving runs to help the Rams keep Excalibur at bay, giving the team momentum and confidence.
Alex King landed the final blow of the first set that gave the Rams a 1-0 lead in the match.
After the game, Walker explained King’s importance to the squad.
“It’s just his ability to lead, you know, he’s loud on the court, he’s vocal,” said Walker.
King would continue to lead in the second set which, like the first, started as a tight, back-and-forth affair.
The teams battled to a 5-5 tie, before the Excalibur grabbed the lead off of a service error by King.
With the Rams trailing by one, Walker threw down a huge hit, sparking a 7-1 run by the Rams to take a 12-6 lead.
Rams Interim head coach Niko Rukavina described what made Walker such an important part of the Rams.
“Just his physical assets, he’s got a great jump, a great arm swing, and now he’s got confidence,” he said.
Building off of Walker’s big play, the Rams dominated the rest of the set. King was also a factor again, making big kills at important times, including one that ended a three point run from Trent following a timeout as the Rams took the set 25-15.
The Rams pulled away from Trent after a close start in the third set to win 25-15. After Trent won a point on an intense rally, first-year outside hitter Kai Higuchi came back with a huge hit to swing the momentum back in the Rams favour, putting Ryerson up 2-1.
With the set tied at five and the Rams unable to pull away, a clever play by Wenzel put the Rams back on top. Wenzel deftly tipped a pass over the front row and into the hole in the middle of the court to give the Rams the lead and spark a big run that put the match away.
Walker ended the final set with a huge hit, giving the Rams the win in straight sets and snapping their two match losing streak.
UP NEXT: The Rams will continue to fight for an Ontario University Athletics playoff spot on March 4 in another match against Trent. First-serve is set for 8 p.m.
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