The Brock Badgers women’s volleyball team continue their chase for a fourth consecutive Quigley Cup title with a thrilling 3-2 home win against the Nipissing Lakers on Feb. 21 to advance to the OUA semifinals.
Outside hitter Laurin Ainsworth led the charge with 15.5 points, fueled by a team-high 14 kills, an ace and a block, while Madison Chimienti starred on the defensive end, leading the Badgers with 10 digs.
However, it was the visitors who controlled the first set.
After a back-and-forth opening to the game, Nipissing strung together five straight points, highlighted by four of their 14 kills in the set, to take the early 11-5 advantage.
But the reigning back-to-back-to-back provincial champions responded late in the set with consecutive Sadie Dick kills, two of her 12 in the game, and an Ainsworth smash to cut the deficit to one, forcing the Lakers to call timeout.
The timeout worked in Nipissing’s favour, nullifying the Badgers’ momentum with the Lakers coming out of the break on a 5-1 run to close the set and take the opener 25-20.
The second set featured much of the same intensity as the first with the teams trading leads and amalgamating an 18-18 deadlock midway through the set.
Ainsworth once again came up clutch with a trio of kills, spotlighting Brock’s best statistical attacking set of the match with 14 kills and a .281 hitting percentage as the Badgers jumped to a 21-18 lead after a Nipissing attacking error.
But the Lakers answered back with four of the next six points to cut the Badgers’ lead to one, forcing Brock head coach Steve Delaney to call a timeout which energized the home side.
Out of the timeout, Emma Baruchelli — who was a force in all aspects of the game, tying a team-high with five blocks — notched one of her 11 kills, which gave the Badgers set point before another costly Nipissing attacking error handed Brock the 25-22 second set victory.
The pivotal set win ignited the Badgers and the Brock faithful inside the Bob Davis Gymnasium as the seventh-ranked team in the country began the third set on a 9-3 run.
But the Lakers, as they’d done all game, responded with the next four points, including three straight aces by Mia Chartrand, as the visitors were quickly back in the set.
With Brock up 11-7, the Lakers went on an 8-3 run to take their first lead of the third, 15-14.
The Badgers quickly regained the lead, but Nipissing grabbed nine of the following 10 points to steal the third set, 25-22, and take commanding control of the contest.
The third set comeback erupted the Lakers’ attack as they rapidly jumped out to a three-point lead to begin the fourth, but the Badgers countered.
Brock rallied four straight points, triggered by a pair of Chimienti kills, as the momentum seesawed between both sides with each team sensing the importance of the set.
With the set levelled at 22 apiece, a massive block by Dick and Charlotte Ross gave the Badgers a crucial one-point edge before Nipissing’s sixth attacking error of the set — tied for their most attacking errors in a set all game — gave Brock the 25-23 set win to force a fifth and decisive set.
The final set began with a string of runs by both sides. The Badgers took the first jab with a quick 3-1 lead before the Lakers bounced back with the next four points, continuing what had been the theme of the match.
Brock rebounded with the following three points, including a pair of Baruchelli kills, before Nipissing found themselves up 14-11, one point away from pulling off the massive upset.
Chimienti sparked the late comeback with a kill of her own, preceding a mammoth Ross ace — her third and Brock’s seventh of the game — which put the Badgers one point away from levelling the set at 14.
A huge combination block from Dick and Baruchelli evened the set before an attacking error from Nipissing flipped the switch, giving the Badgers match point.
Just as the Badgers did, the Lakers answered the call with a kill — their 64th of the game — to tie the set at 15, with either team needing to win by two to seal the match.
On the ensuing point, Mackenna Knox recorded her 46th assist of the game to feed Baruchelli for the thunderous slam which was her fourth kill of the set to restore match point in the Badgers’ favour
After an intense back-and-forth rally, Chimienti capped off the Badgers’ illustrious comeback with one of her six kills in the game as Brock won the thrilling fifth set, 17-15.
The Badgers (OUA second seed) defeated the Lakers 3-2 (20-25, 25-22, 22-25, 25-23, 17-15) to advance to the OUA semifinal with a date against the Windsor Lancers (OUA sixth seed) on Feb. 28 at the Bob Davis Gymnasium beginning at 6 p.m. Brock and Windsor split their season series with one win apiece, with the Lancers coming off an upset victory over the third-seeded Western Mustangs.
The game can be streamed on oua.tv and tickets can be bought here.
For more information on the Brock Badgers women’s volleyball team, visit gobadgers.ca.