NORTH BAY, Ont. - With a final 3-1 (27-29, 25-22, 25-21, 25-15) regular season victory over the Nipissing Lakers under their belts, the 2017-18 Ryerson Rams have become the first Ryerson varsity team to collect a perfect record since the 1958-59 men's hockey team.
A fairytale year and a strong Ryerson team were put to the test against the Lakers on Sunday afternoon in North Bay, but the Rams lived up to the challenge - the team overcame a 29-27 loss in the first set to take three straight set wins.
Setter Mady Timpany (Woodstock, Ont.) saw the start for Ryerson in the game. The Lakers would take an 8-1 lead early in the first set and the Rams appeared to be struggling with the first ball.
A quick turnaround saw the Rams adjust appropriately, but the Lakers fought hard and took a well-earned win in the first set. Freshman setter Alicia Lam (Oakville, Ont.) would play in the remaining three sets for Ryerson, tallying 28 assists on the match.
Janelle Albert (Brampton, Ont.) had 11 digs and 11 kills in four sets, and Theanna Vernon (Scarborough, Ont.) garnered a .455 kill percentage with 13 kills on 22 total attempts. Outside hitter Cailin Wark (Georgetown, Ont.) led the team with 18 points. Nipissing's Cassie Dobson (North Bay, Ont.) led the match with 13 digs.
A 3-1 victory marked the end of an unbeaten season for the Rams, who collected a 19-0 record on the year. The best record in program history was met by a team of hard-working players who earned their standing this season.
Looking ahead, the Rams will take on the fourth-seeded Waterloo Warriors from the west division in the OUA quarter-finals on March 3rd at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto.
