PETERBOROUGH, Ont. – The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men’s volleyball team extended their win streak to five games on Sunday, defeating Trent for the second straight day, by a score of 3-1 (25-14, 25-19, 20-25, 25-18).
After dropping their first six games of the season, the Bold have since rallied to win their next five affairs and now sit at 5-6 on the season — good for eighth in the OUA.
The trip to Peterborough was a successful one for TMU, who won six of the seven sets between the pair of matches.
Kai Higuchi paced the Bold attack with 11 kills while Lyam Krapp recorded a career-high 6.5 total blocks and four kills — including the match-winner to seal the win for the Bold.
Third-year middle Alex King, who entered the afternoon as the OUA leader in total blocks, chipped in three blocks, while only appearing in two of the matches four frames.
King’s light usage was an example of Niko Rukavina choosing to rotate 10 different players onto the court. Standout outside hitter Jacob Walker and fourth-year setter Saad Shaikh combined to play just two sets.
The Bold were able to fend off the Excalibur’s best effort at picking up their first win of the season.
TMU hopped out to an early 10-3 lead in the opening set before running away with a nine-point victory in the frame. Trent rebounded and hung around in the second, but ultimately, the Bold pulled away and won four of the final six points of the set to win 25-19.
But the visitors’ hopes of taking care of business in straight sets were dashed, as the Excalibur recorded a remarkable .769 hitting percentage en route to getting within one set. But from there, TMU led from nearly start to finish in the fourth, and ultimately, final frame, before Krapp put away the match with a massive kill.
The Bold will be back in action for their first pair of matches at the Mattamy Athletic Centre of the 2023 calendar year this coming weekend. TMU is set to host the crosstown rival York Lions on Friday and Saturday nights.
York currently sits in fourth-place in the conference with a 7-3 record. The rivalry with the Lions is one the Bold program has had their fair share of success in, with the team winning nine of their last 10 games — a trend they’ll look to continue this weekend.
First serve is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
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