TORONTO – The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women's volleyball squad's season came to a close on Saturday following a five-set defeat (25-23, 21-25, 21-25, 25-21, 12-15) to the York Lions.
With their back against the wall in the fourth and having squandered a 1-0 lead in the match to a pair of victories by the Lions, the Bold pieced together a 10-2 run–their longest of the afternoon–to extend their season another frame.
The momentum failed to stay in TMU's favour throughout the deciding frame however, falling behind 5-2 in the shortened set and never properly recovering from their early woes to clamp a bitter end onto their Senior Day plans.
The group honoured their graduating class prior to the match, including Sarah Zonneveld, Scarlett Gingera, Tyra Krapp, Jia Lonardi, Mary Rioflorido, Jasmine Safar and Kylie Ferguson.
All seven of TMU's departing members played a role in helping the Bold try and find a win on Saturday, with Zonneveld being the most notable member to touch the court after seeing her playing time hampered throughout the entire season due to injury.
The fourth-year started for the Bold before being replaced by Ferguson nine points into the opening set. Zonneveld was able to make a difference in the match despite her limited playing time, picking up a pair of assists and most notably, nearly landing an ace that helped fuel TMU's pivotal comeback in the fourth.
"I wasn't really looking to make that big of an impact… but being able to actually get points and a lead for our team and stuff, that's super special," said Zonneveld following what she later confirmed to be her last career OUA contest.
"It's like the most Sarah thing ever," praised Lead Assistant Coach, Julie Gordon, of her senior following the match. Gordon oversaw the Bold in their final contest with Head Coach, Dustin Reid, unavailable.
Gingera paced the Bold with 19 kills in her final match as a member of the blue and gold, helping rival York's top hitter, Brooklyn Parliament, who finished the afternoon with a team-leading 18 kills for the visitors.
The Bold used a 7-3 run in the opening set to take a 17-13 lead over their city rivals. The Lions made their late-blooming offense a common occurrence in their defeat on Friday and were able to instil that tactic once again with a late 7-4 run to claw their way back to a deficit of 22-21.
Similar to the three times in which the Bold extinguished the Lions' late fighting spirit on Friday, the home side failed to flinch at the sigh of a late push and swept aside their opponent shortly after to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
The Bold hit a wall in the second set however, falling behind the eight ball early and unable to dig themselves out of a quick 12-2 deficit.
A timeout by Gordon to stop the bleeding worked crucially in TMU's favour, not only accomplishing the former but also propelling the group on a 6-0 run to only trail by four.
The Bold added a 5-2 run to their side of the scoreboard later on in the frame – including three kills by Lonardi–to cut their deficit to 19-14, but failed to find any other serious momentum before dropping the set 25-21.
York was able to find their stride once more in the third, breaking through a tightly-contested frame with an 8-2 run to pull away from the Bold and take a 20-15 lead. TMU proceeded to ice the Lions once more in the third with another strategic timeout, going on a 6-2 run themselves that would pull the group within four but only delay the procession of another Lions victory.
The Bold clapped back in the fourth, using a trio of kills from Gingera and a 10-2 run to bust the frame open. Kaiya Krahn played a large role in helping force a fifth set with five kills of her own, including a crucial pair in a three-play span to take a 24th and 25th point.
The energy failed to seep through into the fifth and final set, with the Lions starting off strong and cutting off all attempts of TMU securing a comeback in their 15-12 win.
Despite the loss, TMU's final weekend of the season served as a reminder of what is expected to come in 2025-26.
Despite the parting of integral seniors, the group possesses several young stars that have demonstrated their ability to carry the torch in their second and third years with the club, including Krahn, Julia Breen, Rayanna Amos-Ross Fisher and Ayla Cross to name a few.
"It's going to be a bit of an adjustment as we turn the page from this season to next," said Gordon. "There's going to be a lot of work being put into this offseason to develop some of these younger players."
"We have so much potential in all of our girls," added Zonneveld. "We know that we're leaving them in good hands with everyone who's on the team."
The Bold will now begin their offseason, finishing the campaign with a 4-16 record.
