Lancers sweep Thunderwolves to close out 2022

The Windsor Lancers women’s volleyball team made the journey to Thunder Bay to take on the Lakehead Thunderwolves on Friday and Saturday night at the C.J. Sanders Fieldhouse for their fall season finale. 
 
The Lancers emerged victorious winning in two four-set thrillers in which both battles featured brilliant play from both sides with the host Thunderwolves putting up a valiant effort in each outing perhaps trying to take advantage of the lag the Lancers may have felt after making the long trip up north for the weekend.
 
Aliah Admans led the way offensively for the blue and gold in both contests with 20 kills on Friday’s game and 14 kills posted in Saturday’s match.  Megan Gahima also had an impressive well-rounded performance in each game notably for being a blockade at the net on Friday and Saturday.
 
Other solid individual performances from the weekend came from Emma Shepherd and Sam Loshushan on Friday while on Saturday Aryn Markett and Danika Scharff stood out in the match. Collectively though, the Lancers were able to showcase their team’s depth with multiple members contributing to each victory in the northernmost gym within the OUA.
 
FRIDAY
The first set saw a closely contested score all throughout as both teams traded points early on and eventually met up at 15-15 at the midway mark of the set.  The Lancers would break open a lead though towards the end of the set taking set one 25-21 to go up 1-0 in the match.
 
In the second set, the visiting Lancers once again exchanged points with the host Thunderwolves which saw tight scores throughout the duration of the set.  However, Windsor would maintain hold of a higher points spread that made it more difficult for Lakehead to claw back down the stretch and took the second set by a score of 25-19 to lead 2-0 in the match.
 
The third set proved to be more challenging for the Lancers though, who were already riding a 2-0 set lead in the match wanting to close out in straight sets.  However, the Thunderwolves protected their home floor nicely by upping their play to put pressure on the Lancers potential sweep which eventually led to Lakehead earning the third set victory with steady play 25-22 to then trigger a fourth set against the Lancers.
 
In the fourth, the Lancers were once again tested from the start with the Thunderwolves picking up some momentum from the third set.  The blue and gold were able to hang in there though enforcing a slim margin on the scoreboard constantly and eventually taking the lead towards the middle of the set. The Lancers did not look back as they were able to march on and take the extra set 25-19 and first match of the weekend doubleheader 3-1 in a competitive closeout.
 
SATURDAY
The first set was quite similar to the opening set from the night before with both teams exchanging points early on and keeping close tabs on one another.  The Thunderwolves would break the ice though down the stretch with their relentless efforts in the later stages of the set to earn themselves the first set at home 25-22 and go up 1-0 on the visiting Lancers.
 
The second set saw both sides maintain their steady play with each wanting to pick up a huge victory to head into the holidays with.  The Lancers opened up a gap early in the set but the Thunderwolves did a great job of battling back to force the Lancers to have to elevate their play in order to tie things up in the match.  The Lancers accepted the challenge after 18-18 tie and were able to work together to win the second set 25-22 flipping the script on Lakehead and knotting up the match at 1-1. 
 
In the third set, the Lancers held the lead throughout the majority of the set up until the back half of the set where the Thunderwolves ramped up their play to worry the blue and gold at times.  Lakehead managed to inch closer to taking the third set with convincing plays and a determined mindset in front of their home crowd.  However, Windsor did not let up though despite needing extra points late in the set as they were able to claim the third set over Lakehead even with the Thunderwolves on their heels edging out the home team 26-24 in a crucial third set to go up 2-1.
 
The fourth set proved to be pivotal in setting the tone for the visiting Lancers as they buckled down and took care of business holding firm control throughout the set.  In dominating fashion as they were able to stave off having to play a fifth set by taking it commandingly 25-10 and the match 3-1. 
 
The pair of wins improve the Lancers record to date to 5-4 on the campaign heading into the holiday hiatus. 
 
UP NEXT
This concluded the Lancers 2022 portion of the schedule, and they will now be off from OUA action until the new year which will not resume until on January 6, 2023.  The next game for the blue and gold will be in Kingston when they visit the RMC Paladins in the new year to kick off 2023. 
 
With the team now preparing for their final exams to close out the fall semester, the Windsor Lancers would like to wish our athletes the best of luck on their exams and wish everyone a happy, safe, and healthy holiday season and we look forward to seeing everyone in the new year!