HARD FOUGHT LOSS FOR BLUES IN FIVE-SET THRILLER

Looking to bounce back from a season opening loss to the Gaels yesterday, the No. 5 Toronto Varsity Blues once again battle Queen’s in Kingston, Ont., this afternoon. In what was a five-set thriller, the
Blues came up short by the slimmest of margins, falling 3-2 (19-25, 25-23, 18-25, 25-19, 16-18).

HOW IT HAPPENED: Coming off of a tough opening set in their first of two matches against Queen’s, the Blues were able to keep pace with the Gaels this time around. Going back and forth, neither side was able to build lead larger than three. However, with Queen’s leading 19-18, the Gaels were able to build some momentum, winning six of the next seven points to secure the set.

With no desire to trail 2-0 in the match, the Blues battled throughout the second set. Jumping out to a 10-7 lead, the Blues were able to stay roughly three points ahead of Queen’s before extending their lead to as many as six. Down the stretch, a kill from Anna Maria Godamski, two from Olivia Zhu and one from Hope Kotun helped the Blues take the second set 25-23.

Trying to continue building off their momentum, the Blues were unable, finding themselves in an early 8-3 hole. From there, Queen’s continued to keep Toronto at bay, building their lead to 16-9. Despite the Blues efforts, they were unable to narrow the gap much, dropping the set 25-18.

Needing to win the fourth to stay alive, the Blues did exactly that. With very little separating the two sides through much of the set, Toronto was able to pull away late. Tied 16-16, Julia Wiercigroch began to take over. Earning half of the Blues next eight points, Wiercigroch registered four kills, guiding Toronto to a 25-19 fourth set win.

Given the way the two teams played the first four sets, the tightness of the fifth should come as no surprise. Although Queen’s quickly went up 4-1, Toronto responded out of a time-out to take a 7-5 advantage. The Gaels though, would respond. After tying the set 7-7, Queen’s would go up 10-8. Battling back, the Blues swung momentum back in their favour to lead 14-12 and earn a pair of match-points. Unfortunately, Toronto was unable to capitalize and would wind up falling 18-16.

Kotun led the Blues with 15 kills, while Wiercigroch and Zhu both registered double-digits in the same category with 10 each.

UP NEXT: The Blues will head back to Toronto for their home-opener on November 10 when they take on their cross-town rivals, the York Lions.