Women volleyball’s wake-up call

Lewis Chaitov
Staff Writer

The York Lions women’s volleyball team came very close to their first loss during a game against the Lakehead Thunderwolves Nov. 26.
The team had to claw their way back from dropping two sets in the beginning and winning the remaining sets in the game to make it 3-2. They need to learn it’s slippery being at the top of the Ontario University Athletics (OUA), and that they can’t win without putting up a fight.
The game proved to be a wake-up call for many of the players as the team faced their second consecutive match with Lakehead on Saturday night and won the match 3-1 in stride. It leaves one wondering if head coach Nick Tran, now in his second year, may have lucked out with the 10 rookies that make up a big part of the team.
Against their rival, the Lions put on a show, winning the last two sets by as much as six points. It left the Lakehead Thunderwolves reeling as the team scrambled for a chance.
Thinesa Sriskandarajah, in her third year of eligibility, has played for head coach Tran for three years and happily fills in the role of co-captain of the team. She has helped move the team forward and came up strong to put a total of 22 points on the scoreboard.
Along with Sriskandarajah, libero Melissa Humana-Paredes helped keep the team grounded with great receives. It’s a skill she may have learnt from her brother Felipe, who plays for the men’s volleyball this year.
The Lions still rely on powerful offence player Brandie Wilkerson, however, who connected 20 kills this game, and scored 38 points overall.
The players are just where they want to be at the moment and are hoping to keep the same momentum going until the end of the season,
but the real test for this team is seeing how the long break will affect their game play.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL PLAYER OF 2010

#2 Brandie Wilkerson
108 kills
23 blocks
36 digs
138 points