TORONTO — The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold fell to the Waterloo Warriors on Friday evening during the Bold's winter homecoming night, 25-18, 19-25, 25-21, 25-20.

Things kicked off with a back-and-forth battle, with neither side conceding more than two points in a row until over halfway through the frame.

TMU's home crowd at the Mattamy Athletic Centre added to the atmosphere, with cheering fans ringing their recently-received Bold bells and screaming at the top of their lungs to help inspire their team and scare the Warriors into 17 service errors.

Bold Head Coach Dustin Reid was impressed with the event's large turnout: 

"It's a great experience for us, it's obviously enjoyable, and it allows our kids to have a better time. But also, just to be in a higher-charged energy environment is really good for the experience that we're trying to grow."

With their fans behind them, TMU played an impressive team game to start. Five different players logged a kill within the first twelve points of the set.

Waterloo managed to pull away on a five-point run, though, putting the Bold on the ropes. Despite some powerful service aces from outside hitter Kaiya Krahn and libero Livia Davenport, the Warriors maintained their newfound lead and took the frame, 25-18.

The second kicked off with a similar back-and-forth start. Midway through the frame, though, the Bold caught fire. 

Some crushing kills from outside hitter Darcie Buchanan set the tone for what was to come, as middle Rayanna Amos-Ross Fisher subbed in for just her fourth set appearance of 2026.

The second-year middle made the most of her limited time on the court, immediately recording a kill. She finished the match with just two kills and one block assist, but her impact was far greater than the scoresheet would imply. 

"I was happy to see her get out there and bring a lot of energy," said Reid, "she made a couple of plays that really lifted the team at a really key time, and that allowed us to separate ourselves a little bit…I'm looking forward to her getting more of those opportunities here as we move forward."

With Amos-Ross Fisher's pure power hyping up the winter homecoming crowd, TMU started to build up a lead and forced the Warriors into a timeout.

A Buchanan kill capped off a five-to-one run, and the Bold took the second set, 25-21.

Reid's squad carried that momentum into the start of the third, storming out to a 4-0 lead. Buchanan was unstoppable in the frame's opening points, logging three of her tied-for-game-high fourteen kills.

Krahn impressed in the timeframe as well, notching two kills and an emphatic block that erupted the team's home crowd.

But after TMU had managed to grow themselves an 11-4 lead, the Warriors turned on the jets.

An eight-to-one Waterloo run tied the set back up and made things exciting. The frame would come down to the wire.

Despite the Bold's best efforts, the Warriors managed to snag enough points in the clutch to take the third set, 25-21. 

Even with the loss of the set, Reid was happy with his team's play. He attributed the result more to timing than a lack of talent:

"There were probably three of four moments during the match where, for a 15-point period, we were the better team. And unfortunately, we didn't time that up in the right ways to get more than one set."

Another one of those periods came during the end of the fourth, where the Bold built up multiple small runs but ultimately weren't able to keep it up come clutch time. 

Outside hitter Tyra Krapp and middle Ayla Cross each scored two kills within a ten-point span, but Waterloo came alive at the right moment with a four-point run and took control of the set. The fourth set finished with a score of 25-20 for the Warriors.

The loss bumps the Bold's record down to 6-9 on the season, good for 11th in the OUA standings. They face the Warriors again in a matinee matchup on Saturday afternoon, giving Reid the chance to adjust his strategy.

"I'd like to see us handle the ebbs and flows of the game a little bit better," he explained, "When the opponent is playing great, just limit their ability to run away with points, and when we're playing good, just be able to extend it a little longer…that really might sound obvious, but to do that in the game–controlling the ball, playing with aggression, playing as a unit, is something we need to continue to get better at."

First serve for Saturday's game is set for 4 p.m., and students can enter the game for free with their OneCards.