TORONTO, ON – Sports – The Lakehead University Women’s volleyball team were beaten 3-0 by U of T on Saturday (25-16, 25-23, 25-13). The majority of the team were afflicted with a nasty flu bug that left many of the Thunderwolves exhausted and with upsets stomachs for the last 24 hours, including during the game.
Lakehead got scoring from Jorie Daymond with 11 points (10 kills, 1 block), she also had 5 digs. Libero Breanne Hilhorst had 10 digs, and Claire Morrison had 7 kills on 13 attempts. Setter Sara Hudson, who was visibly ill during the game, had 15 assists.
U of T sophomore leftside hitter Rebecca Crosier led all players with 13 kills and 11 digs. Fellow second-year standout and Ottawa native Charlotte Sider had another solid game with 12 kills and eight digs, while Alexandra Hudson added 11 kills and nine digs in the win.
Third-year setter Malena Rapaport had 34 assists and nine digs on the night.
Coach Chris Green focused on the positives taken from the game despite the flu epidemic that disabled his starters.
Coach Green shares, “We passed perfectly today. The best passing we have had in a long time. Unfortunately at crucial times our players make unacceptable mistakes defined as crucial points of focus in the game plan. We didn’t put our hitters into prime position to score.Yet we had all the chances in the world to succeed in the first 2 sets! These young ladies will learn that when you do not follow the plan presented, you give your opponents room to freely execute. Unfortunately we lacked focus on executing the game plan tonight. We had most of our players battle hard through a flu tonight, like Brittany Macleod who had been fighting it all night, yet stepped up and played hard. That is the determination that makes you have admiration for the quality addition she is to this group. Michelle Cournoyer showed up tonight as well giving us an example of leadership your 5th year players should. Now we will get ready for Ryerson who is hungry for their first win.”