By Noah Curutti

The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) women’s volleyball team got back to winning ways sweeping the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees 3-0 on Saturday at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC), a drastic improvement after losing 3-1 last night.

The Bold were mostly in control of all three sets and got the job done, snapping their four-game losing streak and advancing to 4-4 on the season while Ottawa fell to 6-2. 

TMU opened the first set with complete control, jumping out to a 5–0 lead thanks to strong blocking from third-year outside hitter Kaiya Krahn and third-year outside hitter Darcie Buchnanan forcing Ottawa into an early timeout. 

The Gee-Gees struggled to keep their attacks in bounds, while Buchanan and Gee-Gees fourth-year outside hitter Audrey Odigie traded kills to keep the Bold in front.

Ottawa eventually settled in and cut the deficit to 13–11 but TMU responded with a timely Krahn kill. A Buchanan kill followed by a Krahn ace pushed the lead back up and sent Ottawa into a second timeout as TMU regained momentum. The Bold continued to win the longer rallies, stretching the score to 18–12.

Odigie took over late in the set, delivering multiple thunderous kills and a crucial block as Ottawa attempted to claw back. The Gee-Gees stayed competitive but an Ottawa attack sailed long to close the frame, giving TMU the opening set 25–20.

TMU opened the second set with far more urgency, responding quickly after Ottawa jumped out to a 2–0 start behind Giddens and a block from fourth-year middle blocker Christine Hachokake and third-year setter Harper Schaefer. Buchanan answered with her fifth kill of the match, and the Bold soon settled in, taking a 6–5 lead after an Ottawa error. 

A block from second-year middle Ayla Cross extended the lead. She is 12th in total blocks in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) this season. She helped TMU extend the margin, and second-year outside hitter Rian Lenorduzzi sparked a three-point run to make it 13–10. 

Notably, Ottawa, who is normally strong at the net, finished the set with zero blocks and a –0.28 hitting percentage, well below their usual standard.

That fast start was exactly what TMU aimed to improve on after the previous match. The Bold pushed their lead to 15–10, forcing Ottawa into a timeout as the Gee-Gees struggled to generate offence.

A gritty hustle sequence, capped by Krahn after a tough save from Buchanan as Odigie fired a spike that hit her in the face, kept momentum firmly with the Bold. Odigie followed with a powerful kill that would land this time to make it 16–12, and Ottawa burned another timeout shortly after as TMU surged ahead 20–12.

The Gee-Gees attempted a late push with a Giddens kill, but TMU refused to let the momentum slip. Odigie continued her strong night with her sixth kill, and Hannah Bellai combined with Krahn closed out the frame. TMU’s early burst and their ability to build a cushion in the middle of the set proved decisive, securing a 25–19 win in a set Ottawa never truly threatened, especially with their uncharacteristically poor blocking and efficiency.

TMU opened the third set with help from Ottawa’s early sloppiness, capitalizing on a service error and a Buchanan ace. Odigie continued to be Ottawa’s bright spot, blasting another kill as she climbed to a 1.58 hitting percentage, one of the few consistent threats on a Gee-Gees team that had struggled all afternoon. 

Krahn answered with a kill of her own as both sides amped up the physicality, trading heavy swings with the sense of urgency rising on each rally.

Ottawa finally found momentum, going up 8–4 behind back-to-back blocks from Hachokake and an ace from Schaefer. TMU took a timeout trailing 11–5 but the middle of the set saw both teams battling hard, with every Bold player contributing to the pushback.

TMU’s persistence paid off—Buchanan delivered an ace to pull within one at 15–14, and Krahn won a head-to-head exchange with Schaefer to cap a 5–0 run that tied the set. Krahn then truly took over, stacking clutch kills to give TMU their first lead of the frame at 19–18.

Khran was coming off of last night’s match which saw her get her 200th career kill. 

From there, the Bold closed with complete composure. Krahn added another kill as TMU pulled within three points of the finish line, and they sealed the sweep 25–21, snapping Ottawa’s five-match win streak.  

The Bold’s win today was powered by Krahn, Buchanan, and Cross who all had over 10 points tonight. An impressive performance from the three of them which saw the Bold excel today, getting an important win. Ottawa was not at the races compared to the dominance they showed last night. 

UP NEXT: The Bold head to Peterborough, Ont. to face the Trent University Excalibur on Nov. 28. First-serve flies at 6 p.m.