TORONTO – The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women's volleyball squad were unable to harness any momentum in a 3-0 (12-25, 11-25, 15-25) defeat to the McMaster Marauders on Friday.
McMaster's Angelika Vidmar did a bit of everything to earn the Marauders their ninth victory of the season, leading the floor in kills (8) and hitting percentage (.571) while chipping in a block and pair of service aces.
Scarlett Gingera paced the Bold attacking corps with eight kills on 18 attempts as the home side laboured to keep the scoreboard from tilting out of their favour.
"[McMaster] got stronger as the match went on even though it was never close," said head coach of the Bold Dustin Reid following the straight-set defeat. "McMaster is a team that if you don't stay close with them, then they're gonna roll over you," he added.
The Hamilton side entered play possessing one of the province's best service talents in Olivia Julien. Ranking second in the OUA in service aces per set, Julien led the Marauders with 5 on Friday as part of a 10 service-aces showing from the visitors that helped distance themselves from the Bold repetitively.
McMaster's route began from the match's opening set as the visitors pounced on TMU's early offensive struggles (a trio of attacking errors and a -.200 hitting percentage) to take a 9-4 lead.
A timeout from Reid did little to throw the Marauders off his side's scent however, with McMaster doubling their score and using a 6-0 run to help take a 1-0 lead in the match.
Julien and Vidmar played crucial roles in taking the wind out of TMU's sails early in the second set, combining for five kills and a service ace to grab a 7-2 lead over the Bold.
That trend continued for the Marauders later in the set to help take a 2-0 stranglehold on the match. The group failed to endure an attacking error and paired a .533 hitting percentage with a compelling four service aces to cap off their most convincing set of the night.
"Serving works like a tidal wave," commented Reid. "When [McMaster's] doing it well, they're going to be more aggressive and we allowed them to get so confident and aggressive from the serve that it was really hard for anyone to pass," he added.
The Marauders added three more service aces to manufacture an 8-3 lead over the Bold in the third set, but the blue and gold managed to break through with a 5-1 run to cut their deficit to three midway through the frame.
Kaiya Krahn - who became an integral component to the Bold's attack in her sophomore season with the program - knocked down back-to-back kills to fuel the charge and give the Bold some life in the final set.
"She just plays aggressively and she always believes she can help the team score a point or keep her ball off the floor," praised Reid on the play of Krahn. "She plays with an intensity that lifts people up."
The Marauders responded quickly however, ringing off a 6-1 run of their own to rebuild their dominant lead that like many of their others, the group failed to look back from.
The two sides will match up once again before the end of the weekend, with first serve flying at 4pm on Saturday. The Bold will look to bring a better fight as they continue to search for their first win in 2025. TMU students can attend the match for free with their OneCard.
