Rams set to host Gryphons in OUA quarter-final

TORONTO — The No. 4 nationally ranked Ryerson Rams are set to host the Guelph Gryphons in the OUA quarter-final on Saturday afternoon at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto.

The matchup comes on the heels of a 3-2 (23-25, 14-25, 25-15, 25-14, 13-15) loss to the Queen's Gaels last Sunday to round out the Rams' regular season campaign. The team finished the year ranked second in the OUA East with a 16-3 record, giving up the most regular season losses since the 2016-17 season.

Nevertheless, the team's depth and dynamic abilities have helped them reach the top of the national rankings yet again this season. The Rams have showcased their elite abilities in inconsistent bursts over the course of the regular season and will now be challenged in each and every future contest to put those skills on display.

78 sets and 19 regular season matches have all led up to this moment: the team will begin their 2020 playoff run this Saturday on the Coca-Cola Court, taking on the third-seeded Guelph Gryphons in a one-and-done OUA quarter-final matchup.

With a 12-7 regular-season record, the Gryphons capped off their 2019-20 campaign on a three-game winning streak and have lost just two matches in the second semester. Guelph leads the OUA in digs (15.83), total blocks (2.22), and total attacks (2626), while ranking within the league's top five in kills (2nd - 863), hitting percentage (5th - 195), kills per set (5th - 11.51), and assists (5th - 786).

These two teams last met on November 8, 2019, when Ryerson earned a 3-2 (25-16, 13-15, 25-21, 24-26, 15-11) win on the Gryphons' home court. Rams outside hitter Cailin Wark (Georgetown, Ont.) and Samantha Cyrille (Scarborough, Ont.) both established career highs in the win, as Wark total 21 kills and 23.0 points while Cyrille collected 30 digs. Guelph middle blocker Lisa Wedel led her team with 21 kills, while outside hitter Jade Ziebarth totalled 14 kills through four sets.

Presently, the duo poses the greatest threat to the Rams' success. Ziebarth is a strong hitter while Wedel thrives at the net, and the Rams will need to focus their defensive efforts on the two upper-year Gryphons. The Rams will also need to utilize their arsenal of attacking options in the match, calling upon the dynamic abilities in their middles in Lauren Veltman (Brampton, Ont.), Kate Grasman (Komoka, Ont.) and Lindsay Kleuskens (London, Ont.). If the Rams can hit the court with a strong game plan and an improved serve-receive, the team will have every opportunity to seal the deal against Guelph and advance to the OUA Final Four the following weekend.

First serve flies at 2:00 p.m. on the Coca-Cola Court on Saturday. Purchase your tickets here, or stream the game live at OUA.tv.

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Players Mentioned

#1 Cailin Wark: RS; 6' 0"; 4

#8 Lindsay Kleuskens: MB; 6' 0"; 3

#9 Samantha Cyrille: LIB; 5' 6"; 2

#14 Lauren Veltman: OH; 6' 2"; 4

Players Mentioned

#1 Cailin Wark
: 6' 0"; 4
: RS

#8 Lindsay Kleuskens
: 6' 0"; 3
: MB

#9 Samantha Cyrille
: 5' 6"; 2
: LIB

#14 Lauren Veltman
: 6' 2"; 4
: OH