[1]Lancer Josh Lappala receives a serve during a game against Durhan. Loyalist won 3-0. Photo by Taylor Renkema
By Taylor Renkema
Courtesy of The Varsity Voice [2]
Lancer veteran Glenn Martin thinks the Durham Lords underestimated them.
Last time the two teams met, the Lords crushed the Loyalist men’s volleyball team 3-0 — but that didn’t happen on Friday night as the Lancers hosted Durham.
“We didn’t show up last time,” he said. “This time we showed them what we’re really about.
The Lords had only lost one game heading into Friday night’s matchup, and on paper it looked like an easy win for them next to Loyalist’s 6-4 record.
But the Lancers men’s volleyball team did what few expected- they swept the top team in the OCAA East Division in straight sets.
The women’s team was not as strong- falling 3-0 to the Lords with set scores of 25-14, 25-13, and 25-22.
Men’s head coach Dave Templar said Durham was weaker than usual.
“They made some unforced errors, more than they typically would, but the important thing is being able to capitalize on those, and we did,” he said.
Coming off a two-week break for Christmas holidays, Martin said it’s often hard to get back into the swing of things.
“We came back a little rusty, like most teams did, but I think it’s important for everyone to keep playing over break.”
Templar agrees, but said the break can also be positive for the team.
“As much as I’d like them to physically continue to play through the break, I think two weeks is probably more of a benefit to them for mental health reasons- they can take a load off for a few weeks,” he said.
On the women’s side, Lady Lancer head coach Tony Clarke said his team is having some chemistry issues.
“They’re having issues with hesitation,” he said. “They’re not communicating quick enough.”
He said when the team comes into the gym they’re having difficulty shutting everything out and focusing on just volleyball.
Second-year libero Katie Glass agreed.
“We have lots of chemistry off the court,” she said. “But when it comes to being on the court we don’t have that spark anymore. We see little bits and pieces of it and we’ll see it in moments when we have a really big block or dig, but there are other moments where it doesn’t seem like our team.”
The women faced a few roster changes for the weekend- rookies Amber Rittwage and Meghan Hering were both sidelined.
Both Loyalist teams were back in action Saturday, Jan. 19 against the George Brown Huskies. The women’s team rallied after Friday night’s loss and beat the Huskies 3-0, while the men’s team fell 3-1.
Before Saturday’s game, Glass said moving on quickly is a huge part of any varsity sport.
“We need to think about what we did wrong, and how to improve, but we can’t let last night keep us down for our next games,” she said
Templar said the team mentality when facing a top contender needs to be just like any other. His goal for this semester is to reverse the teams 4-6 record from last semester.
“Anything can happen once you get on the court,” he said. “Yes, they’re in first place, but at the end of the day, you go into a match like you have nothing to lose.”
