The George Brown Huskies women's volleyball team (7-2) picked up their fourth straight win after defending home court against the visiting Seneca Sting (6-3) on Saturday afternoon (Dec 3).
HOW IT HAPPENED: After a nail-biting five set win over the Canadore Panthers on Nov 26 that moved the Huskies into 2nd place in the OCAA East Division, the Pack was looking to use that experience to pounce on the Sting in their first meeting of the season.
The 1st set was action packed and saw both sides exchange points continuously. When one side would get out to a slight lead the other side would battle back to regain momentum. The visitors would end up stealing the set from the Huskies 25-23.
Entering the 2nd set, the Sting had all the momentum and were able to get out to a 14-10 lead before the Huskies called a timeout. Head Coach Daphne Choi (6th Season) knew that the team needed to play their game and to their strengths. She said, "I told the team do not give up on your ability to contribute. Do not give up on the block. Do not give up on yourself. Trust yourself and trust your team." The Huskies came back out onto the floor with fierce focus in their eyes and displayed tremendous trust in one another as they clawed back to take the set 25-20 and tie the match at one apiece with the pivotal 3rd set next.
The 3rd set saw the momentum shift in the home side's favour as the Huskies would continue the onslaught. Led by the hustle and sacrifice of Megi Memcaj (3rd Year) and Ashley Lau (4th Year) who combined for 20 digs, the Huskies would take the set 25-20 and take a 2-1 lead heading into the 4th set.
Huskies setter Brianne Lee (1st Year) had another outstanding game picking up 42 assists in the match. Lee would seamlessly put the ball in the right place at the right time for outside hitters Jacque Ronquillo (1st Year) and Taylor Grant (1st Year) to execute their offensive prowess. The Huskies would go on to take the 4th set 25-21 and win the match 3-1 (23-25, 25-20, 25-19, 25-21) and pick up their fourth straight win to end the first half of the season.
Ronquillo finished the match with 25 kills on 46 attempts along with 11 digs and Grant would finish with 11 kills on 19 attempts and 11 digs. Memcaj also contributed with seven kills of her own and finish the match with 10 points.
Head Coach Choi is proud of the way the team competed in the first half of the season. She explained, "We started the season by asking our athletes to commit to a journey with us. We told them we wouldn't always get it perfect. That we wouldn't always come out of the gate at speed and firing." She continued, "but we told them as we walked this journey together, we would see the wins and the results. We have learned so much together as a team and I couldn't be prouder to finish our first half knowing that we're on track to meet the goals we've set."
UP NEXT: The Huskies will return to action in the new year on the road as they play the Sting again on Wednesday January 11, 2023 at 6 pm. Can't make it person, catch all the live action on our Huskies Livestream Channel!
