Women’s Volleyball News

In a match with many twists and turns, the Ryerson Rams pulled off a spectacular comeback to win their quarter-final at the U SPORTS Women’s Volleyball Championship presented by Hotel Universel Quebec, 3-2 (22-25, 18-25, 25-23, 25-23, 15-8) against the UBC Okanagan Heat on Friday night at the Université Laval PEPS.

Championship Website
Schedule & Results
Livestream – USPORTS.LIVE

By virtue of their win in five sets, the Ontario champions kept their undefeated record intact, after they won all 19 regular season matches and another three in the OUA playoffs. Ryerson could claim their first championship medal in program history on Sunday, but will first face off on Saturday against the Calgary Dinos in the semi-final. As for the UBC Okanagan Heat, their first trip to nationals will continue in the consolation round, where they will take on the host Laval Rouge et Or.

QF4-Ryerson3.jpeg (215 KB)

“I don’t think we appreciated the team on the other side was until we saw them face to face tonight,” said Ryerson’s Dustin Reid, the U SPORTS Coach of the Year. “I felt like we kind of settled into a rhythm in the second set but couldn’t take advantage of these opportunities. In the third we started to put some momentum together but went through a tough rotation. We felt a lot of pressure at that moment but after we got through that we finally played our game.”

“We had to battle to win the first two sets and then they led every set after that,” said Heat bench boss Steve Manuel. “We battled back from way behind in the third and fourth but made errors. We didn’t really make them (Ryerson) earn those points. And in the fifth set they earned the points they needed. Ryerson is a very good team, very well coached with great athletes. You can’t let them in the door and this is exactly what we did tonight. They fully took advantage of it.”

QF4-Ryerson4.jpeg (261 KB)

Janelle Albert had 15 kills, an ace and a block assist to earn player of the game honours for the Rams. For the Heat, Michelle Jakszuk earned the nod with 16 kills, a solo block and an assist.

Box Score

Players of the Game

Ryerson Rams: Janelle Albert

UBC Okanagan Heat: Michelle Jakszuk