TORONTO — The No. 2 Ryerson Rams opened their 2019-20 campaign with a dominant 3-0 (25-16, 25-20, 25-16) win over the visiting Lakehead Thunderwolves on Friday night at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto.

Leading the way for the Rams was fifth-year outside hitter Brett Hagarty (Aurora, Ont.), who finished the game with 12 kills and 13 digs. 

The Rams would surrender the first point of the match to the visitors but soon turned on their attack and shifted the momentum. Ryerson's Kelly Schaefer (Uxbridge, Ont.) led the team through their attack in her first start of the season, aiding the team in their 25-16 first-set victory over the Thunderwolves. 

The second set saw the Rams struggle at times to return to proper positioning. The Thunderwolves capitalized on a few positional scrambles, keeping the set within striking distance. 

"I thought we stayed calm and handled those situations well," says Hagarty on the various skill-testing second set scenarios. "We were able to reset and get back into our game pretty quickly."

Hagarty's veteran presence helped keep the Rams on track, leading the team with seven kills and six digs after the second set. Ryerson would win their second straight — this time by a score of 25-20 — and headed into the third looking to solidify the sweep. 

The third set saw the Rams play a more structured offensive game. The Thunderwolves continued to keep the game close, but Ryerson's skill and depth kept them in front through the remainder of the match. 

Ryerson would earn a 25-16 win in the third set and eventually walked off the court with a 3-0 victory over the visiting Thunderwolves in their season opener. 

"We didn't let Lakehead go on extended runs and we really controlled the momentum," said Rams assistant coach Adam Simac on the performance tonight. "They have the ability to get hot from the service line so our goal was to win the serve-pass battle."

Molly Peters (Surrey, B.C.) and Katelyn Grasman (Komoka, Ont.) each finished the game with nine kills and 11 total points. Second-year setter Lauren Wong (Scarborough, Ont.) tallied 36 kills through three sets. 

The Rams will be back in action Saturday night as they take on the No. 4 Toronto Varsity Blues. First serve flies on Coca-Cola Court at 6:00 p.m.