If you’re going to be the best, you have to beat the best.
The York University Lions women’s volleyball team won its first playoff game in a decade last Saturday when they downed the McMaster Marauders in five sets, capturing the final two after going down 2-1.
Their reward, you ask? A date with the top-seeded Brock Badgers in the OUA semi-final, with a trip to the Quigley Cup final on the line. This is a duel between the two hottest teams in the province. The Lions come in winners of six in a row; Brock, meanwhile, has won its last eight contests.
York went 0-2 against the Badgers in the regular season, losing in straight sets on back-to-back nights in late January. They showed flashes of compete in those matches, sending one set into extra points on both nights. Ultimately, though, the Lions will have to be much better if they want to pull off another upset and advance to their first OUA championship since 2013.
They have to feel differently heading into this go-around with the Badgers, and the main reason: consistency. Heading into their weekend double-header with Brock in January, they’d dropped two of their previous three games. Now, they’re hot, and, as coach Jen Neilson said prior to the McMaster game, committed to the winning process.
That’s not to say it will be easy, as evidenced by Brock’s aforementioned eight-game heater. Not only were they the best team by record in the OUA, they were also at or near the top in many statistical categories. That includes leading the conference in fewest reception errors (69) and kills per set (12.51), while finishing third in hitting percentage (.234) and fewest total errors (355).
The biggest spot where the Lions can perhaps exploit Brock is defensively. York finished fourth in the OUA during the regular season with 1178 digs. If they’re able to stay positionally and fundamentally sound defensively and set up extra attack opportunities with their hustle, that will keep them in the match.
Another area is at the net, where the Lions were right there with the Badgers in total blocks in regular season play. That in mind, there is sure to be a lot of play at the net in this match, and if the Lions are able to limit the block errors – an area in which they struggled slightly against McMaster – that will certainly be key in pulling this one off.
In any event, we should be in for an entertaining match and, while the Lions are the No. 5 seed on paper, they’re playing at a much higher level of late. Can they pull off another shocking victory and reach heights not seen in a decade? Register for our fan bus today, or watch live on OUA.tv to find out.