Bold take care of Paladins in straight sets for weekend sweep

KINGSTON, Ont. – The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women’s volleyball squad took home the weekend sweep over the Royal Military College (RMC) Paladins earlier this afternoon, besting the Kingston side in three sets to earn their second consecutive straight-set win. 

Ashley Ditchfield and Katelyn Grasman paved the way for the Bold on the offensive side of the ball, recording ten and eight kills, respectively, in the group’s 19th consecutive win over the Paladins. 

The Bold opened up their second contest in as many days with RMC in good spirits, compiling a widespread attacking effort to earn a compelling 25-11 opening set win. 

TMU’s Alicia Lam highlighted the 14-point win in the initial frame, registering nine assists and an ace in her side’s blowout victory. Lam would see her offensive game explode during a pair of five-point runs that helped the blue and gold narrow in on RMC. 

Second-year libero Mary Rioflorido surprisingly closed out the first set with her second kill of the season to put a bow on a distributive offensive effort for the road side. 

As both teams worked their way towards the midway mark of the match, TMU’s offensive narrative continued to encapsulate the court. With much of the attack led by some of the Bold’s lead swingers, the Toronto side cruised to a second-straight blowout victory to push the Paladins to the brink. 

Ditchfield and Grasman delivered the nail in the coffin midway through the set, recording a pair of kills on back-to-back plays to emphasize TMU’s run of six consecutive kills. 

Just as she did in the game’s initial stanza, Lam chipped in three of her ten assists during the treacherous scoring streak to help set the table for a crucial closing frame.

Despite the kickback from the home side, the Bold effortlessly took care of business in the third and final frame to secure the weekend sweep over the winless Kingston side. 

Although the group found themselves unable to string together their familiar longstead runs during the latter half of the frame, Britney Veltman and Ditchfield flexed their offensive muscles by each throwing down a trio of kills to help seal the deal for the visitors. 

The blue and gold will head back home on a high note before they prepare to face off with the Toronto Varsity Blues next Saturday at 6:00. Yet another group effort will be in high demand if the Bold wish to claim the season sweep over their cross-town rivals for the first time since 2017.