LIONS DROP QUIGLEY CUP SEMI TO BADGERS IN HARD-FOUGHT AFFAIR

Resilience has been a hallmark of the York University Lions women’s volleyball team all season long. Despite a season-ending setback to the Brock Badgers on Saturday night in the OUA semi-final, they displayed that defining quality right to the bitter end.

The Lions fell to Brock 3-1, playing extremely competitive volleyball over the final three sets. After losing the first set 25-16, the red and white rallied to even the match with a 27-25 second set victory. A late scoring spurt by the Badgers in the third inflated what was a pretty evenly-matched set into another 25-16 Badger win. The Badgers then rallied from a 10-5 fourth-set deficit to win it 25-21 and seal the victory.

The Lions came into action one of the hottest teams in the OUA, winners of their last six matches including a five-set quarter-final win over McMaster. The only team hotter in the province than York was none other than the Badgers, who had been victorious in their last eight matches.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Lions kept the first set close early, trailing 5-3. However, the Badgers went on a run from there, leading by as many as nine. York rallied to close the deficit to six at 21-15, but Brock would eventually take the first set by a 25-16 count.
• The Lions had a solid bounceback in the second, getting out to a 15-10 lead. The Badgers responded with four straight to cut the gap to one, but the visitors continued to battle throughout the remainder of the set. It went into extra points tied at 25 and the Lions scored the final two points – punctuated by a Jessica Reynolds ace – to take the second 27-25 and even the match at 1.
• The third set score was not indicative of the flow of most of the set. There was little separating the two teams for the majority of the third, with the Badgers maintaining a four-point lead throughout. The Lions cut it to two at 17-15, but proceeded to allow eight of the set’s final nine points to drop the set 25-16 and trail 2-1.
• The Lions appeared poised to force a fifth and deciding set for the second straight week, as they strutted out to a 10-5 fourth-set edge. The Badgers called a timeout in an effort to halt the Lions momentum, and while it didn’t work immediately, Brock eventually found its mojo. After the Lions led 15-11, the home side embarked on an 11-5 run, putting them up 22-20, at which point the Lions called a timeout of their own. It did not have the desired effect, however, and the Badgers came away with the 25-21 win, solidifying a four-set victory to advance to their second straight Quigley Cup final.

LOOKING AHEAD:

The Lions focus now shifts to 2023-24 after a 13-9 season which saw them win their first playoff game in a decade. Playing their last games as Lions in this one were Lauren Boddington, Chiara Da Silva, Olivia Kim, Christina Piccinin and Tyneille Swaby.