PETERBOROUGH, Ont.—The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women's volleyball team secured a 3-2 (25-23, 25-16, 23-25, 16-25, 15-9) win over the Trent University Excalibur in a five-set thriller.

Darcie Buchanan led the way for the Bold with eight kills, seven digs, and two aces, while Tyra Krapp added seven kills, seven digs, and three blocks. Mattea Di Bacco recorded 26 assists, tallying 20-plus assists for the second consecutive game.

TMU entered the match coming off a 3-1 win over Trent the night before. The Excalibur, sitting 12th in the OUA standings and still searching for their first-ever win against TMU, came out determined to challenge the Bold. 

The opening set featured strong offensive pressure from the Bold, with Ayla Cross striking early and Buchanan restoring momentum with back-to-back kills. Thanks to key plays from Hannah Bellai, TMU created separation late, taking the set 25-23, despite a tense seven-point run from Trent.

The Bold controlled the second set, limiting Trent to just 16 points. Efforts from Krapp, Buchanan and Bellai, helped push the Bold to their success, as they cruised to a 26-16 set win. 

The third set was a tighter battle, with Trent surprising TMU with an offensive surge. Kaiya Krahn stepped up, knocking down multiple key kills, and Marta Cerovic added two more. Nearing the end of the set and holding a 23-20 lead, the Bold let the set slip away as Trent rallied to secure the set, 25-23.

The Excalibur's momentum carried into the fourth with TMU struggling to regain their composure. Despite a few solid kills from Krapp, a combination of Bold errors and improved hitting from Trent allowed the Excalibur to win the set 25-16 and force a fifth set. 

In the final frame, heated rallies ensued, with Trent pushing for a historic win and TMU fighting to close out the game. The Bold regrouped and refused to let their early two-set lead go to waste. A crucial kill from Buchanan helped the Bold to seal the deal before claiming a 15-9 victory.

TMU now returns to Toronto with an undefeated weekend behind them and will take a short hiatus before resuming play in the new year.