The Algonquin Wolves experienced highs and lows during their Friday evening volleyball games.
Despite losing 3-0, the women’s team put up a good fight against the La Cité Coyotes. The men’s team got revenge by beating La Cité 3-0 in a dominant performance.
The women’s game started with a close first set, with the Wolves losing 26-28.
“I don’t think we were prepared enough, I think we expected it not to be as tough,” said the Wolves’ Faith Billaney.
The Wolves women began to lose traction, losing the second set 25-21.
By the third set, La Cité had the upper hand, winning 25-18 to end the game.
“We missed 16 serves in three sets, which is just unheard of for this team,” said Everton Senior, head coach for the Wolves women’s team.
Billaney agreed with the coach’s statement.
“I think we really struggled on serving today, which isn’t something our team is used to,” she said.
The men’s team came prepared for the second match of the evening, with the Wolves defeating La Cité 3-0.
“It was good,” said Jelle Kooijman, head coach for the Wolves men’s team, “Looking at the rankings, we expected to dominate. We’re very happy with the performance.”
The men’s team started strong in the first set, winning 25-9.
Showing no signs of slowing down, the Wolves maintained a strong lead throughout the second set, winning 25-10.
The Wolves finished with the same level of prowess in the third set, closing out the game with a 25-12 win.
“We did a lot better than most games this season, so that’s good to see,” said the Wolves’ Jeff Commerford when asked about Friday’s performance.
Algonquin College is set to play against the Georgian Grizzlies and the Canadore Panthers next week, two of the top teams in the league, according to the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association standings.
“Those are our main competitors, the focus is on that now,” said Kooijman. “We really need to be as effective as possible on our serving, so that’s something we continuously work on. That’s gonna be key next week for sure.”
The Algonquin Wolves are set to have an action-packed weekend, facing the Georgian Grizzlies on Friday with the women’s game taking place at 6 p.m. followed by the men’s game at 8 p.m.
With no time to rest, the Wolves are scheduled to play the Canadore Panthers on Saturday. The men’s game will be taking place at 6 p.m. at the ARC, followed by the women’s game at 8 p.m.