Another year called for another OUA playoff appearance for the Brock women’s volleyball team, as they took on the Ottawa Gee-Gees in the first round on Feb. 20 in the Bob Davis Gymnasium.
This season was different for the Badgers. Under Head Coach Steve Delaney, the team usually comes into the postseason ready to defend its OUA title, but Brock has been on a redemption tour ever since their shocking defeat in last year’s Quigley Cup final. More motivated than ever, this Badger team did not play around in the regular season, demolishing opponents on a nightly basis and finishing fourth in the national rankings by the end of the season.
Their first roadblock was the Gee-Gees, a team that the Badgers hadn’t played in the regular season, making it somewhat of an unpredictable clash.
Players on both sides had to get each other figured out as the game started dead even through the first 20 points. Right out of the gate, you could tell the Badger crowd was as pumped up as the players themselves, showing their support through roars and cheers after even the smallest plays. This paid dividends after Brock overcame some critical serve mistakes, followed up by some great swings from Madison Tuck and Emily Foest. These two upper years came out of the gate hot, putting pressure on Ottawa at every opportunity they got around the net.
It was the visitors who were holding steady in the first set, proving that they had the scouting report read heading into this game. It was 19-18 with the momentum swinging the Gee-Gees’ way thanks to some hitting mistakes by the hosts.
It wasn’t meant to be for Ottawa, however, as Tuck turned the tide with a monster kill that marked her fifth of the game already, tying up the game in the process.
From there, it was all Badgers. Charlotte Ross had three of the next four points for Brock, all coming from timely blocks. The second-year middle finished third in the OUA this year in rejections as she continues to stack her already impressive resume at such a young age.
Just a minute later, Foest would help the Badgers capture the first set with a beautiful second-chance tool, with some help from her setter, Mackenna Knox.
Knox had a stellar first set, making some remarkable plays down the stretch with the utmost composure. The third year is having yet another outstanding season, ranking amongst the best players at her position in the country.
Brock opened the second set right where they left off, as Foest drilled an ace to put the Badgers on the board first. This was shortly followed by another pair of kills, this time by Daryan Chadwick and Foest, who were controlling the net in the early stages of the set.
It was Ottawa’s mistakes that cost them the most. Although Brock was still hounding them, the Gee-Gees had lost any sense of organization after their solid first set. Whether it was hitting directly into blocks or silly miscues, Ottawa looked all out of sorts.
Luckily for Delaney, his team was taking full advantage of these mistakes and making Ottawa pay.
Foest was the M.V.P. of the second set, tallying numerous kills and dicing up Ottawa with some clinical serves. At this point, each fan in the gym was screaming after every Badger point, highlighted by two more aces, this time from substitute Brianne Whalen.
Moments later, Emma Baruchelli put the nail in the coffin with her sixth kill of the game, tying Tuck for the lead in that category.
Kaiya Greydanus subbed in for her OUA playoff debut and instantly got a kill to cement a dominant set by the Badgers as they took the second 25-14.
The third set told a similar story to the second, with Brock inching one step closer to the finish line after each Ottawa mistake. Audrey Odigie was trying anything to stop the bleeding for her squad, putting in any effort she had for a potential game-saving Gee-Gee run.
It was Ottawa’s lack of depth that really held them back. They couldn’t compete with Brock’s all-around talent, no matter how many chances they got.
Knox continued to spread her options around on offence, getting almost everyone on her team involved at any given moment. The Burlington native capped off her incredible night with a monstrous kill off a party ball that shook the entire gym and even got a reaction from her coach.
Ross continued to rule around the net, while Foest ended the game with a kill to catapult the Badgers one step closer to the Quigley Cup final.
In other news, Foest recorded her 1,000th kill in her illustrious university volleyball career this game. The Fonthill native became the all-time leader in points for the Badgers women’s volleyball program this year, as she looks to recapture another title before graduating.
Coming up next for Brock, they will be hosting the Queen’s University Gaels in a semi-final game on Friday, Feb. 27, at 6 p.m. in a rematch from the previous year.