TORONTO — In a showing of their depth, resilience, and patience, the Ryerson Rams came from behind to take a 3-2 (21-25, 25-19, 21-25, 25-8, 15-9) match victory over the Queen's Gaels on Friday night at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.  

Lauren Veltman (Brampton, Ont.) headlined the Rams' efforts in the game, tallying 16 kills and 12 digs in five sets.

A long rally to open the match saw the Gaels emerge with the first point, with the rest of the first set following suit. Queen's took a 25-21 victory in the first set, much of their momentum coming from the Rams' seven attacking errors to start the game.

Ryerson bounced back to take a 25-19 win in the second set, but the Gaels stayed strong and topped the Rams 25-21 in the third.

The tides turned for Ryerson in the fourth set, as the team sailed their way to a 25-8 victory. Team captain Theanna Vernon (Scarborough, Ont.) says the team perfected their game in the fourth, and the rest was history.

“They really pushed us hard tonight,” says Vernon. “We were more focused on our end of the court in the fourth set — our defense, our block — and that gave us the edge.”

The Rams solidified their victory with a 15-9 win in the fifth set.

Rookie setter Lauren Wong (Scarborough, Ont.) had 46 assists on the match while outside hitter Sara Piana (Ottawa, Ont.) recorded 12 kills.

“We knew coming into the game that Queen's was going to be a tough matchup,” says Rams head coach Dustin Reid. “But, win or lose, the battle tonight was good for us.”

The Rams will be back in action November 3rd at the Mattamy Athletic Centre as they take on the RMC Paladins — first serve flies at 6:15 PM.