Bold top Paladins in weekend opener

TORONTO – The Toronto Metropolitan University Bold women’s volleyball team defended home court against the RMC Paladins Friday night with a straight sets win.

The team is built on a mixture of returning and rookie players, giving the team a great new dynamic to work with.

“Every year is a new team even though you have lots of returning players. Often times you have returning players stepping into bigger roles and leadership opportunities and so I’ve been really thrilled with how we’ve worked and built ourselves up until this point,” said head coach Dustin Reid. 

The first set was off to a good start for the Bold, but the Paladins were able to catch up quickly. Halfway through the first, the Bold led 15-10 making some key kills and blocks. 

Fashion design student Adyson Wilson’s serve partnered with first-year Megan Kesner’s kill earned the Bold another point, inching closer to a win. Kesner went on to become a key player for tonight’s game.

“Individually, I just kind of went out there, had no expectations and played for fun so I think having that light headed mindset really helped me,” said Kesner.

Leading 25-13, the Bold closed out the first set against the Paladins. Ready for another set, the Paladins were waiting on an opportunity to lead.

The red and black started the second set off strong, shifting the pressure to the home team as they led by a few points. An opposition service error forced the ball under the net, tying the game with eights points to each team.

Progressing slowly in a back-and-forth set, the Bold took the second set 25-20 in a tough battle. They were now one set away from claiming a Friday night win.

“It was a good chance for us all to play together. Think there was a bit of nervousness but I think we overcame that really well and overall played really well together,” said outside hitter Kaiya Krahn.

The Paladins switched up in the third, taking the lead over the Bold, but Krahn sparked a comeback making back-to-back kills.

A block from Wilson and middle Elise Pridmore denied access to the Paladins. Working harder and harder every play, the Paladins couldn’t secure a solid chance at winning the set.

The home team was all smiles and cheers as they celebrated their win over the Paladins, which speaks volumes about the team culture.

“Everyone has been super welcoming and super nice to everyone, so that was definitely really helpful when getting to know everyone but everyone’s also so fun to play with on the court,” said Krahn.

As a senior student but a first-year player, Kesner feels similar to Krahn’s take on team culture.

“I think the team is really welcoming, especially being a fifth-year student but a first-year rookie. Slight dynamic at the beginning is weird but everyone is super welcoming and really nice, very positive,” added Kesner.

The team comes face to face with the Paladins again in a Saturday night game. The team’s goals are clear, and each game is a chance for them to get closer to that goal.

“Just besides being the best? I think that’s it. I think we realize we need to qualify for the playoffs and there’s some really really talented teams in our league that we’ve faced and we’re going to face another next week. But once we get [to the postseason] you know, you win three games, you’re the champs,” added Reid.