TORONTO — The Ryerson Rams are looking to build on last weekend's success as they hit the road to take on the Queen's Gaels and the RMC Paladins on Friday and Saturday evening in Kingston.
A previous two-win weekend saw the No. 3 Rams pull out difficult victories against two of the top teams in the OUA West. Last Friday night's 3-2 (23-25, 25-12, 19-25, 25-21, 15-9) thriller against the McMaster Marauders brought the Rams their first five-set victory since November 9. The team then wrapped up their weekend with a jaw-dropping sweep over the then-No. 7 ranked Brock Badgers.
The last two weeks have seen the Rams achieve their two highest total blocking numbers of the year. This recent net-front improvement will likely prove valuable as the Rams look ahead and prepare to take on two divisional opponents in the Queen's Gaels and the RMC Paladins this weekend in Kingston.
Ryerson will first face off against Queen's, one of their closest rivals, on Friday night in Kingston. The 8-4 Gaels have suffered losses to McMaster, Brock, Toronto and Windsor this year, currently sitting third in the OUA East. Rookie outside hitter Arielle Palermo has made waves in the OUA this season, leading the league in service aces per set (0.71) and ranking fifth in kills per set (3.36). Ryerson will need to find a way to shut her down at the net to keep their hot streak alive in this crucial Friday evening match-up. First serve flies at 6:00 p.m. at the Athletics and Recreation Centre in Kingston.
Saturday night sees the Rams face off against RMC for the second and final time this season. When these two teams first met back in November at the Mattamy Athletic Centre, the Paladins managed to take a set off the then-undefeated Rams. The Paladins have since totalled two set wins, both coming in various 3-1 losses. The Rams will need to consistently hold the Paladins off the board this time around to see improved results against their resilient divisional opponents. The clash is set to begin at 6:00 p.m. at the SAM Gymnasium.
Head over to our Twitter, @RyersonRams, for live updates throughout both matches this weekend. The games are also available on OUA.tv
