A community in rebuild: Women’s volleyball season preview

What is the Rams women’s volleyball team’s warm-up song of choice? 

According to the players, you can count on the all-too-familiar beat of Drake’s “Way 2 Sexy” booming from the gym speakers at practices. Court music is one of the many ways that the team has bonded with one another since returning to the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) only two months ago, for the first time in nearly two years.

“I’m just excited to be able to play and have fun with the girls again,” Rams libero Jyoti Ruparell says. “It’s going to be fun to get back out there and compete, with all the energy that we’ve put into connecting and gelling as a group.”

Establishing a sense of comradery and healthy sports culture is the biggest priority for the team at this time in the season. Since the student-athletes have been back, head coach Dustin Reid says his focus has been on helping them to re-adjust and regain their love for the sport and the team. 

“A lot of the team is coming back from different places in their lives and athletic careers,” Reid says, as he works away at his clam chowder. “Some of the girls haven’t played volleyball in more than a year and a half, some have reinvented themselves into different athletes and people, and a lot of them are new.”

It’s the coach’s lunch break after team practice, and we’re sitting inside the Loblaws beside the MAC. 

Reid talks about the various difficulties that the players might have faced last year, such as the isolation of being a student-athlete for a school team they couldn’t train with, located in the heart of a locked-down version of downtown Toronto.

“We have to be open and honest about what it means to feel excluded from a community you’re supposed to be a part of,” he says, “and even now, city life is not what it was pre-pandemic. Some of our favourite team spots don’t exist anymore, so a lot of the program’s culture needs to be rebuilt.”

He gestures his head towards the lidded soup bar to the left, blocked off to customers by plexi-glass.

“Two years ago, that was a salad bar,” he says, remembering the once popular buffet-style selection of greens that now comes pre-packaged in a different section of the grocery store.

Thankfully, the head coach doesn’t have to carry the burden of building team respect and relationships on his own. Reid says the group’s older players have taken it upon themselves to help foster a sense of community and belonging among the team, like seasoned setter Alicia Lam.

“I’m looking forward to supporting everyone and having more of a leadership role. I went from a first year to the oldest player, but I’m excited to bring what I’ve learned over the years from other teammates to this season’s roster,” Lam says.

In 2017-2018, Lam’s rookie season, Rams women’s volleyball won their first U SPORTS national championship, going undefeated all the way in 25 straight wins. And despite the perfect record, what Lam remembers most about that year is the overwhelming love and appreciation that the team felt for one another, which was then reflected onto the court.

In terms of how their athletic performance and skill-based strengths might look throughout this season, Lam says the team also has game plan strategies and fast tempo sets to offer the court this season. The one aspect of the game that the team will need to hone in on, Reid says, are their offensive plays.

“We’re very strong defensively and we’ll fight really hard to stop the ball from touching our side, but we need to grow at putting it onto the opponent’s side,” Reid says.

He explains that most of the previous roster’s strongest offensive players didn’t come back this season, so they’ll have to find ways to come together as a unit instead, which he says will take some time but that he’s confident in the team’s ability.

You can watch the Rams women’s volleyball team on the road at their season-opening series this weekend against the Queen’s Gaels by logging on to OUA.tv, before they take the MAC court next Saturday for their first home game of the year.

Fans can purchase tickets for all Rams home games this season, here. Ryerson students, staff, and faculty are free but still need to reserve a ticket in advance of arriving on game day. Utilize the access code RAMS to reserve your free ticket. Health and safety protocols are in place – more information is available at the ticketing website.