Bold hand No. 7 Queen’s first loss

TORONTO – Late dominance in the fourth and fifth set led the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women’s volleyball team to a 3-2 victory against the No. 7 ranked Queen’s Gaels on Friday evening. 

The team’s record now sits at .500 more than halfway through the fall portion of the season, after defeating two previously undefeated teams in the span of one week. 

“This early in the season, we’ve had a tough start going against teams who will be top of the conference,” Bold outside hitter and veteran U SPORTS All-Canadian Julie Moore said. “That gives us confidence going into the second half.”

Moore led the team in kills (20), points (21) and digs (15) throughout the game, stepping into a key leadership role for a young, but hungry team as one of TMU’s transfers ahead of the 2022-23 season.

“I try my best to lead both on and off the court by providing a confident presence on the court, but also working really hard in the weight room and setting good examples in general,” she said.

Despite an early Bold win in the first set, the Gaels dominated the following two, winning the second set by five points (25-20) and the third by six (25-19).

The crucial fourth set saw lengthy rallies and a tight score throughout, from both teams at nine points to a late five-point run from the Bold that tied the set to 23 points each. TMU finished the run, winning the set 25-23 and pushing the game into a fifth.

The fifth set opened with a powerful statement block by Katelyn Grasman, which was followed by another straight seven points by the Bold. Queen’s called a timeout at 8-1 and began to catch up, scoring five more points and holding TMU to one. In the end though, the Bold finished the fifth 15-11, taking the game.

“We faced one of the best teams in the country tonight and when we played as a unit, we were able to really take it to them a bit,” head coach Dustin Reid said. “I hope it shows that when we play together, our style of play, that we can play against anybody.”

Reid added that every player on the roster stepped on the court Friday evening and produced, and the evidence could be found in the numbers. While Katelyn Grasman led the team in hitting percentage (.385), Sarah Zonneveld had 25 assists and Mary Rioflorido added 14 digs.

The team will be back on home court Saturday evening for their second game of the doubleheader weekend against the Gaels. First serve is set for 7 p.m. at the Mattamy Athletic Centre or available to stream online at OUA.tv.