The Algonquin Wolves men’s volleyball team took full control of the court against the Durham Lords in its first home game of the season, winning 3-0 on Nov. 11.
“We executed the gameplay, like, if you would have looked at what we wrote down beforehand, what you saw in the court today lined up and it worked,” said Jelle Kooijman, the head coach for the Wolves.
The first set ended with a close score of 25-20.
Just like their first game against the Durham Lords on Oct. 21, Jeff Commerford ended the night with 10 kills and two digs after a strong performance on the court.
“As a team, we passed and served a lot better than we have before. We relied on that and everyone stepped up,” said Pras Jey, the Wolves’ captain.
Jey also had a strong performance in the game that night, ending it with nine kills.
During the second set, the Wolves dominated on the court with a final score of 25-18.
“Finnie’s serving run at the end of the third set really brought us back in and it really helped us close that game up,” said Jey, referring to his teammate Connor Finnie, who ended the night with three kills.
During the final set of the night, the game became very heated with control bouncing between the Wolves and the Lords. Players on the bench shouted encouragement to teammates on the court.
With the Lords leading 13-10, the Wolves started taking control once again, but the scoring stayed close until the end of the game. Once the Wolves took the lead at 20-18, Liam Arnold-Paquette substituted with Erick Menjivar and joined his team on the court. Once Finnie took his turn to serve, he closed the gap with two successful serves.
The final serve for the Wolves went to Warner Jaworski, who ended the night with five kills and three digs. The Wolves took the final point of the night, ending the set 25-20.
“We played exactly how we wanted, we were always in control and we were always going to win this game,” says Kooijman.
The Wolves recognized Remembrance Day before the second set. The school’s mascot joined the team to roar like a wolf in honour those who fought for our country.