THUNDER BAY, Ont. - The women's volleyball team dropped its first two matches of the 2010-11 season in Thunder Bay, Ont.  The Rams were defeated by the Lakehead Thunderwolves 3-1 in both contests this weekend.

In their season opener on Friday night, second-team OUA all-star Vanessa Chorkawy was dominant, tallying 24 kills and five aces to spur Lakehead to a 3-1 (25-15, 21-25, 25-12, 25-21) victory. 

"Lakehead came out of the gate tonight at a high level," said Rams Head Coach Dustin Reid. "We had a hard time handling it and got ourselves backed into a corner and could never fully recover."

Jana Champagne had a team-high nine kills, while Carli Yim and Lisa Hooey also added eight kills each in the loss.  Haley Wolfenden also had 24 assists for Ryerson. 

Ryerson lost their second game in as many nights on Saturday, dropping the contest 3-1 (16-25, 25-20, 25-15, 25-21).  The Rams were dominant in the first set, but had no answer for another masterful performance by Chorkawy, who had 20 kills and two aces to lead Lakehead to a 2-0 start.  Champagne and Lisa Hooey led Ryerson with seven kills each, while rookie Elyse Savoie had six kills and 13 digs. 

The Rams return to Toronto for three home games over the next two weekends.  They will begin their homestand by welcoming the defending OUA champion Toronto Varsity Blues to Kerr Hall Gym next Friday, October 29 for the home opener.