TORONTO – The Toronto Metropolitan University Bold men’s volleyball team opened their regular season on home court against the University of Windsor Lancers. Despite having the home court advantage, the team couldn’t come out on the winning end.
The team’s starting lineup has changed drastically this season after the program graduated three veteran and integral players; captain Lhexen Rabit, setter Saad Shaikh, and middle Omari Young.
“It’s the two months of training before, kind of getting those reps. We had an idea of some of the older players that were going to step in for some of those graduating players so we’ve had an idea,” said interim head coach Niko Rukavina.
The team put all their trust in their coaching staff and they feel the most bonded with each other than they’ve been in previous years.
“[We] really gelled as a team and I can confidently say that I feel the closest with this group of guys that I’ve ever felt,” said fourth year Alex King.
The team had a shaky start trailing behind the Lancers but quickly warmed up the court. After an enticing play, rookie Day Westell and senior King put on a show and teamed up to block the Lancers advances.
The squad fought hard but they were unable to catch up to the Lancers. A first set score of 17-25 got the Bold heated and eager to defend home at the season’s opening game.
“It’s the first game of the season, we knew it was going to be a little bit nervous in the start, some anxiety coming in but we were kind of prepared for that,” said Rukavina. “We knew it was going to be a long game and the good thing about three to five is that you can lose that first one and have lots of time to come back,” he added.
After a few lost chances in the second set, the Bold found their footing and pulled up a six point lead right before the Lancers called for a timeout.
Home court advantage helped the Bold out, but it was the Lancers spectators that made their mark at the Mattamy Athletic Center.
King seemed to be targeted by the Lancers fans, but it made the opposite impact of what the opposition were aiming to do.
“I love the noise. I find, It’s actually funny, I find whenever I’m serving out of all the guys it’s usually the quietest. I find that whenever I get heckled I always play better. I love it. I find whenever it’s quiet I think too much. The more noise the better in my opinion,” said King, a surprising difference.
Five points away from securing the second set and with a ten-point lead, the Bold’s mojo couldn’t be broken.
Davey, the Calgary native supported the team with kills and blocks. The team took the second set with a score of 25-16. Ready to be aggressive and claim their first win, they were ready to finish what they started.
“I know that we lost a lot of seniors last year, we lost a lot of guys so a lot of the weight of the team has fallen onto my shoulders a little bit and I feel like I have to be that guy that can finish a point so when I’m able to do that, it’s a good feeling,” he said.
It was evident in their faces and on the court that both teams were starting to feel pressure. Neither team let down their guard in the nail biting set.
The blue and gold secured the third set with a 25-21 score. Now just one set away from winning the game, they could almost smell the victory.
The Bold battled hard, but a tough fourth set pulled the lead away from them, moving the game into the best of five.
The heckling continued from the Lancers fans, but Davey focused on the positive energy coming from the Bold side instead.
“The Windsor fans making their comments doesn’t bother anybody. They can talk all they want, it’s not going to change anything,” Davey said. “Obviously, all the energy in the gym really helps us, really pumps us up… It’s really important to us, our fans,” he added
Halfway through the fifth, the Bold called for a timeout. The team was behind 7-4 and were aiming for a comeback.
Unfortunately for the home team, they couldn’t fulfill their first game’s win. Despite the heartbreak, the team comes back tomorrow for another game against the Windsor Lancers on home court.
“We’re just going to take whatever we can from this game, the good and the bad, formulate an even better game plan than we did tonight and give it our all,” said King.