Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

TMU Athletics & Recreation

THE OFFICIAL HOME OF TMU Bold
THE OFFICIAL HOME OF THE TMU Bold HOME OF THE TMU Bold
Rams middle Kate Grasman blocks a Guelph attack.
Photo by Hung Le
3
Winner Guelph Gryphons GUE 12-7
2
Ryerson Rams Women RYE 16-3
Winner
Guelph Gryphons GUE
12-7
3
Final
2
Ryerson Rams Women RYE
16-3
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
Guelph Gryphons GUE 22 25 25 18 15 (3)
Ryerson Rams Women RYE 25 22 21 25 11 (2)

Game Recap: Volleyball (W) | | Emile Riga

Rams season comes to a close after heartbreaking five set loss

TORONTO - The Ryerson Rams women's volleyball team suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to the Guelph Gryphons on Coca-Cola Court (25-22, 22-25, 21-25, 25-18, 11-15) in the OUA quarter-final. 

Coming into Saturday's game the Rams had won eight of their last nine matches, and Guelph had won seven straight. With both teams in good form, a high-level game of volleyball was expected and occurred. 

The opening set was an accurate preview for what was to come, as the set went back and forth and was very competitive. As the Rams came out of the technical timeout trailing 16-14, big kills from Kelly Schaefer (Uxbridge, Ont.) and Cailin Wark (Georgetown, Ont.) shifted the momentum in the Rams favour. The Rams remained composed and took the set 25-22. 

Ryerson only gave up two errors to Guelph's seven in the opening set, a factor that proved to be significant late in the set.

The Gryphons did everything but fold in the second set, leading 16-15 halfway through it. Later in the set, a Lauren Veltman (Brampton, Ont.) kill forced the Gryphons to call a timeout, as the game seemed to have been going the Rams way as they led 22-21. Coming out of the break, the Gryphons went on to win four straight points to steal the set 25-22.

The third set showed Guelph's game plan at its truest form, as they looked to minimize their errors and take care of their side of the court. Despite the Rams occasionally hitting devastating kills that erupted a playoff crowd, the Gryphons would weather the storm and stick to their moderate, consistent play. This strategy was crucial in their 8-0 run midway through the set to go up 20-12. Despite the Rams making it a three-point set, Guelph's defensive heroics in the tail-end of the set gave them enough to take it 25-21. 

Down 2-1 with their season on the line, the Rams gathered themselves and flexed their muscles in the fourth set. The Rams' offensive weapons in Jasmine Rivest (Montreal, Que.) and Wark caught fire in the set, giving the Gryphons no chance on the other end. Late in the set, Guelph seemed to have crumbled as they racked up errors and were no threat on offence. Ultimately a Lauren Wong (Scarborough, Ont.) block ended the set off as the Rams tied the game up and took the set 25-18.

The fifth set was a rollercoaster as they often are. The Rams took the early lead, but Guelph came back as they won four straight points to lead 8-4 at the technical. With the game tied at 9-9, the Gryphons showed more of their consistent play which paid off in the end. Guelph took five of the last six points to close out the match and seal the victory.

"Ultimately, Guelph did a better job of handling the ball on their side of the net and giving their hitters a chance to score," said Rams head coach Dustin Reid. "They're a team that doesn't make a lot of mistakes, and they put a lot of pressure on you to have to execute. In the final set, we had four kills on 25 attempts, you're not going to win games like that," he continued. 

Cailin Wark finished with a game-high of 20 kills, with Gryphon Alexandra Proulx just behind with 19. 

This loss will be the final match of the season for the Rams. As for the Gryphons, they will advance to the OUA semifinals. 
 
Print Friendly Version