LONDON — After dropping the opening two sets, the TMU Bold women’s volleyball team was unable to work their way out of the early deficit, falling 3-1 (20-25, 20-25, 25-23, 24-26) to the Western Mustangs on Friday night.
While the match was starting to look like one that could be done early, TMU showed fight in the third set. The Bold took five-straight points off the Mustangs to grab a hold of a 21-19 lead. After exchanging points, Ashley Ditchfield and Sarah Zonneveld were able to close off the set with back-to-back kills, helping the visitors take the third set in dramatic fashion — 25-23.
The Bold took control of the fourth set and appeared set to push the match to five, as they held a 24-19 lead. A pair of kills from both Zonnevld and Mikayla Sherriffs helped set them up with the five-point lead, but then the Mustangs took over. Western fought off four set points and scored seven-straight points to take the fourth set 26-24, spelling the end of the night for TMU.
The loss moved the Bold to 0-1 to start the season, while Western chalked one up in the win column to begin the 2022-23 campaign.
Tonight’s meeting was the first between the pair of programs since Jan. 10, 2020.
Julie Moore, who made her Bold debut after transferring from Dalhousie University this summer, had a big night, recording a team-high in digs with 13, while also chipping in eight kills and four total blocks. Sherriffs had a team-high nine kills, along with 13 digs. On top of timely points, Ditchfield had an efficient night, registering eight kills to go along with a .312 hitting percentage.
Rachel Gray, Jaeya Brach and Janelle Albert led the way for the Mustangs, as the trio each finished the night with double-digit kills.
The Bold will look to bounce back tomorrow night, when they take on the Mustangs for the second time in as many nights to close out opening weekend. First set is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. at Alumni Hall in London.