TORONTO – The TMU Bold women’s volleyball team was back on the court Saturday after a three-set sweep against the Nipissing Lakers on Friday night.
Young players from the Phoenix Volleyball Club visited the team today and it was heartwarming for many.
“When I was younger, I used to go to university games and it was terrifying but exciting, so I love when we have younger players come,” said Mikayla Sherriffs.
The team’s goal for Saturday was to bring the same energy and determination from Friday, hoping for a doubleheader win.
The Bold started the first set strong, focusing on their blocks and consistently playing well against the Lakers.
Sarah Zonneveld continued to make big plays and racked up a total of 27 assists.
The Bold trailed behind the Lakers in the first but kept a close gap on the scoreboard.
“It was a big change in how aggressive they attacked and served, it kept us off balance,” said head coach Dustin Reid on the pace of play in the first set.
The second set was all about tying up the match but the Bold tallied up a few more serve errors than the Lakers, giving a few points away.
That didn’t stop the Bold from making great plays, keeping the ball up and catching the Lakers by surprise.
Lauren Veltman had a strong set en route to her 15 kills throughout the game.
Near the end of the second set, the Bold and the Lakers were tied and each needed two points for the win, but the Bold just fell short.
Going into the third, the Bold got four points in a row leaving the Lakers in the dust. Winning this set was necessary to keep this game alive.
The Bold fought hard, and senior Ashley Ditchfield was a huge support to her teammates while also totaling 7.0 blocks
“This gives us something to work on going forward as we have Waterloo coming up, I think we just have to stay confident in our skills,” said Ditchfield.
Sherriffs continued to keep many plays alive with some exceptional digs, in the end, she had 17 making this a new career high.
“It feels really good, I think it would feel better with a different outcome, but I’m proud of how we did,” said Sherriffs.
The Bold took the lead in the third thanks in part to first-year Kaiya Krahn who tallied three kills back-to-back. Finally, with the kill, Sherriffs sent the Bold into the fourth set.
The Bold stayed close behind the Lakers and were hoping for that breakthrough to take the lead.
The Bold were just short on the score, and the Lakers took home the win. The Bold played a tough match, and now it’s time to rest up before their next game on February 2 in Waterloo.
“This team that we played today is similar to what we’ll see from Waterloo… I’m glad in a way that we’ll have another opportunity in that type of environment,” said Reid.
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