The Lions women’s volleyball team’s record in the regular season fell to 2-2 on Saturday with a loss to the Queen’s Gaels at Tait McKenzie Centre. The loss followed a victory over the Royal Military College Paladins the day before. Fighting their way through every game, the team of talented but inexperienced players is determined to continue the Lions’ legacy as the most successful team in the conference, with 15 titles since 1971.
In Friday’s game against the Paladins, the Lions fought their way through all four sets, winning three of them. The effort was led by Sarah Williams, Cadence Currie, and Kayla Clennon, three of the young players who have had to step up since many of last year’s leading players graduated in the off-season. The trio combined for 30 kills, seven blocks and three aces against the Paladins. Celeste Witzell contributed an additional four blocks, two of which played a crucial role in denying the Paladins their opportunity to overcome the Lions.
The Lions then faced off with the Queen’s Gaels on Saturday, and this time they were swept by the opponent in straight sets. The Gaels dominated both of the first two sets by 25-14, and though the Lions fought hard for a comeback in the third set, the Gaels capitalized on the Lions’ mistakes and took that one by 25-23. Currie and Williams once again led the effort, combining for 17 points and 20 digs, and Witzell’s relentless effort on defense kept the Gaels from sweeping the Lions in the third set.
Currie says that she was disappointed by Saturday’s loss, but adds that “underneath the disappointment comes confidence in my team, knowing that we will learn from our mistakes, fine tune our skill set and hopefully win the next match.”
The Lions must win as many matches as possible to improve their position from fifth place, which was where the team ended off last season, unable to clinch a spot in the Ontario University Athletics East championship round. Towards that end, the Lions have set a goal of playing as a committee and work on improving coordination between active players.
“It feels amazing being a part of a huge support system, knowing that if I do mess up a pass, get blocked, or make a bad dig, one of my teammates will be there to make sure the next touch on the ball will put us back into position to earn the point,” says Currie.
This should help the Lions deal with one of their most significant challenges this season, which is to overcome their inexperience. However, the team has a positive attitude and is determined to give everything it will take tackle this challenge. “Knowing that we are young makes us work harder to develop consistency to prove to other teams that they can’t just write us off,” says Currie. “With every practice we see ourselves gaining knowledge, stepping up, and making ourselves accountable and eventually no one will see us as young.”
With their eyes set on the OUA Final Four Championships, Currie is optimistic about the team’s prospects.
“At this point I’m confident that our team will develop into a force to be reckoned with,” she says.
Hassam Munir, Sports and Health Editor
