TORONTO - The Ryerson Rams women's volleyball team improved its record to 5-1 on the season with a 3-1 (25-14, 19-25, 25-15, 25-22) victory over the visiting York Lions on Friday night at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
BOXSCORE
The Rams had an easy time with the Lions in the opening set but York responded in a big way in the second, recording a 25-19 victory which included an 11-3 run to close out the second following the technical timeout.
“I think we took for granted that we were playing a good opponent,” said Ryerson head coach Dustin Reid. “I thought York came out very flat and we assumed the whole match was going to go that way. So when they started playing stronger, we weren't prepared to face that level of intensity and there is no excuse for that.”
Ryerson would regroup in the third set, pulling away from York after the technical timeout by outscoring the Lions 9-3.
“I think we were able to have the confidence that this game was ours,” said Rams setter Emily Betteridge. “When you're facing a team that may be considered an underdog coming in, you have to have that confidence and keep it up. What we did really well was push it once we got past 20 and were able to get those points near the end of the sets.”
In the fourth, the Lions erased a 17-11 deficit and eventually tied the set at 21-21. The Rams pushed through, scoring three straight points before winning 25-22.
Veronica Livingston (Kelowna, BC) returned to the lineup after missing Ryerson's last match and led the Rams with a match-high 16 kills. The Rams were strong in the middle all match with Theanna Vernon (Scarborough, Ont.) recording 12 kills and Jena Bonello (Vaughan, Ont.) adding a season-high 10 kills.
Third-year libero Julie Longman (Newmarket, Ont.) had nine digs in the match and surpassed the 500 mark for her OUA career.
Sarah Williams (Oakville, Ont.) led the York offense with 13 kills, while Celeste Witzell (Kitchener, Ont.) had 11 kills and Cadence Currie (Scarborough, Ont.) added 10 kills.
With the win, the Rams improve to 5-1 on the season while York moves to 3-4.
The Rams will host the Nipissing Lakers (0-6) Saturday (Nov. 21) at 6:00 p.m. at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
