TORONTO — The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women's volleyball team fell to the Ottawa Gee-Gees 3-1 on Friday.
It was the Bold's (3-4) first defeat at the Mattamy Athletic Centre this season.
With the victory (17-25, 26-24, 26-24, 25-16), Ottawa improved to 6-1 and extended its winning streak to five games.
Outside hitter Darcie Buchanan led the Bold in kills with 14. Buchanan's teammates Kaiya Krahn (eight kills) and Hannah Bellai (seven) finished behind her.
While the set count doesn't tell the whole story, Bold Head Coach Dustin Reid believes a win was realistic but that his team ultimately didn't do enough to deserve it.
"We're a young team and we were a little subconsciously hopeful that our opponent would just choose to stop playing," said Reid. "I give credit to Ottawa, they won the important rallies."
The Bold fell behind early in the opening set 7-3 but fought back to take the lead. Second-year middle Ayla Cross ignited the comeback. After an emphatic kill, Cross' electrifying block drew TMU within one point at 7-6. Cross finished the night leading TMU in blocks with three.
Later in the set, Bellai's spike attempt was deflected by the Gee-Gees' defence, but when the ball landed out of bounds, it gave the Bold an 18-14 lead. It was TMU's largest advantage of the night and forced Ottawa to call a timeout. TMU didn't look back in the first set and finished it with a score of 25-17.
The second and third sets became the periods that eventually swung the outcome in Ottawa's favour.
TMU once again fell behind early, this time by a score of 12-8. And just like in the prior frame, the Bold stormed back, this time through the brilliance of Buchanan. Trailing 13-12, Buchanan was responsible for three consecutive points. Buchanan showcased her impressive touch or unforgiving power whenever she elevated at the net. It didn't matter what angle she approached the ball from, good things happened when Buchanan got involved.
Ottawa rallied back to tie the game at 20. The Bold called a timeout when the score remained tied at 25, but the Gee-Gees eventually secured the match-tying set.
The flow of the match seemingly repeated itself in the third set when TMU dug itself into another early hole, this time trailing 12-6. Libero Livia Davenport sparked the comeback with a pair of energizing digs to help cut Ottawa's lead to four.
A standout moment in the third set began when Krahn half-stumbled during a mistimed block attempt, which gave Ottawa a 19-18 lead. On the ensuing possession, Krahn got the point back with a kill.
During the match, Krahn hit her 200 kill milestone as a member of the Bold. The fourth-year officially ended the game with 202 career kills.
Moments later, Krahn finally got the perfect block she was previously looking for to make it 23-20. Driven by the momentum and renewed vigour inside the gymnasium, Krahn got another kill to draw the Bold within one point of taking the set. The Gee-Gees unfortunately came back to take the set 26-24.
The crowd's energy was deflated and the halt in momentum arguably carried over onto the court. TMU trailed early for the fourth straight time and Ottawa put the finishing touches on the game with their most convincing set of the night.
"They made thirty-two errors but when we don't put the ball over the net and when we let their blocks finish the rally," said Reid. "It doesn't matter how many mistakes (Ottawa) makes."
The Bold will get another chance to capitalize on their chances when they play Gee-Gees in the second game of their doubleheader on Nov. 22. The opening set is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. Students can attend for free with their OneCards.
