The Brock women’s volleyball team were back in action for a home double-header this weekend.
Looking to rebound from losing two of the past three, the women’s volleyball team got an opportunity against the York University Lions. The Lions on the other hand, sitting around the middle of the pack in the OUA, looked to pick up at least one win to stay above .500.
This would not come easily for the Lions.
Friday’s match started close, with both teams trading early kills. York kept it close throughout the first set, and actually led the Badgers in this regard, 11-10. However, it was York’s attack errors that would spell the end of their commendable run, falling 25-17 in the first set.
Undeterred, the Lions showed great resilience in the second set. The set was a battle of attrition, neither side giving an inch. Neither York nor Brock surrendered more than three consecutive points in the set. York improved on their strong hitting, racking up 13 kills, while cutting down their attack errors from nine to four.
Unfortunately for the Lions, the Badgers’ play at the net also improved, jumping to 19 kills and taking the set 25-27.
This time, there would be no bounce-back from the Lions. Matching seven kills with seven errors, their attack efficiency dropped to zero, while, on 13 kills, Brock’s jumped to .286.
Brock took a dominating third set 25-14, and the match in straight sets.
Less than 24 hours later, the Badgers and Lions would take the court again, York no doubt hoping for a better execution down the stretch.
Though York got out to a quick 6-2 lead, their hold on the set quickly dissipated when Brock tied the score at nine shortly thereafter. With several big pushes, the Badgers came out on top, 25-19.
York offered very little resistance early in the second set. Brock went up first 4-0, then 6-1, eventually stretching their lead as wide as 16-4. Brock pulled off the gas a little, but with York operating in negative attack efficiency, the Badgers still cruised to a 25-14 second-set victory.
Brock looked like they had things all but wrapped up, starting the third set up 8-2. York, with nothing left to lose and plenty left in the tank, battled back to knot the game at 21 before taking their second lead of the day. Trading blows the rest of the way, the Badgers clawed their way to a 25-27 victory off an attack error.
Sadie Dick had an outstanding performance over the weekend, leading both Friday and Saturday’s matches in kills. Madison Chimienti and Emily Foest both also had strong weekends, while, as expected, Sarah Rohr and Aleiah Torres led in assists and digs, respectively.
The Badgers next play on Saturday, Feb. 4 against the Waterloo Warriors. Playing the top-ranked team in the OUA, the Badgers have a chance to leapfrog Waterloo in first with a win this weekend. Their full schedule and results can be found on gobadgers.ca.