The No. 2 nationally ranked Brock Badgers clinched first in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) standings on Friday, Feb. 16, with a 3-0 win over the visiting Waterloo Warriors (25-11, 25-18, 25-18).
The graduating class had some remarkable achievements on their big night, as Aleiah Torres recorded 12 digs, finishing second in program history with 1,047, and Sara Rohr notched 39 assists, passing Ally Fast to become the program leader with over 2,475 assists. Third-year outside hitters Emily Foest and Sadie Dick led the offensive masterclass for the Badgers, with the former notching 12 kills and the latter earning 14 points; both game highs.
The Badgers came to play on Senior Night, bringing the heat to the Warriors and getting out to an 8-4 lead, forcing an early timeout. Brock continued to build onto their momentum following the stoppage going on an 8-5 run, capped off by a huge kill by Madison Chimienti, resulting in another Waterloo timeout. The Warriors struggled to overcome the early deficit created by the Badgers, and Dick’s sixth and seventh kills of the set closed it out for the 25-11 Brock win.
The second set proved to be much more competitive, as both teams traded points early on. The Badgers were the first team to pull away again, as Dick continued her great play from the first, sending a ball straight down, and the Warriors to the bench for a timeout down 11-8. Waterloo found their groove following, creating some momentum of their own as they brought the set to 14-13 and forcing Brock’s first timeout of the game. The Badgers certainly figured it out on the break, as they would go on their own 6-1 run, fueled by three kills from Chimienti, resulting in another Warriors timeout. Brock was then able to ride their momentum created for a 25-18 second set win.
The back-and-forth early play seen in the second, continued into the third, as neither team held more than a two point lead until Brock powered into the driver’s seat at 16-11. A Waterloo stoppage fired them into the game, but the Badgers had an answer again, in the name of Gigi Markotic, who notched her fifth kill of the game to force the second timeout of the set. Once again, the Warriors composed themselves in the stoppage, scoring two straight to make it 20-17, which resulted in a Badgers timeout. The lead eventually proved to be too much for Waterloo, as Brock was able to hold on for the 25-18 set win and the victory.
The Badgers honoured their graduating seniors (left to right in the photo: Aleiah Torres, Sarah Torres) after the contest with a post-game ceremony.
Up next, the No. 2 Brock Badgers (18-2) will host the OUA Quarter-Finals at Bob Davis Gymnasium on Saturday, Feb. 24. Find out more details as they become available on gobadgers.ca.
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