Volume 96, Issue 46
Wednesday, November 20, 2002
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Good mix brings weekend split
Women v-ballers still tops in OUA West
By Ryan Hickman
Gazette Staff
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Beth Kerim/Gazette |
| YES THAT ROUND, CYLINDRICAL THING IS A VOLLEYBALL. And you are going to hit it. Jill Pardy and her teammates served up a win over Queen's to Sunday. |
The Mustangs women doled out a couple bowls of their all-around tasty volleyball this past weekend, going 1-1 in two five set matches against the University of Ottawa and Queen's University respectively.
Saturday against the Gee Gees, the ladies jumped out to a one-set lead 25-17 and the match skipped back and forth until the fifth set, where they lost by a tight 15-13 count.
"This weekend was a big gut check for us," said Western head coach Dean Lowrie. "We have practiced or competed in 12 of the last 14 days."
With an overwhelming number of rookies on the team playing a significant role, a weekend like this past one could take a real toll on the Western women, but Western middle and OUA veteran Kyla Simpson said the younger players are not performing like first-year players.
"We were fatigued this weekend, but [the rookies] are playing great on the court and are tough mentally," Simpson said.
Riding a four-match winning streak coming into the weekend, the Mustangs are starting to gel and the division between the frosh and upper-year players has all but disappeared.
"I know what it's like to be a rookie and it's not good to be like two separate teams," Simpson said. "We all hang out off the court too."
Simpson singled out first-year player Jill Pardy, who has emerged on the team physically and mentally, as an example of an impact performer. "Jill has been hitting the ball like mad," she said.
The 6" 2' Simpson hasn't been doing so bad herself, spanking the ball around from her middle position. She was ninth in the Ontario University Athletics conference with a 3.75 points per game average coming in the weekend, and fifth in the league in stuff blocks with 1.13 per contest.
Although Lowrie said no one played exceptionally well this weekend, everyone competed as a team. He has been talking about the character of his team all season and it was showcased on Sunday afternoon with the marathon match against Queen's.
"They could have easily said 'enough,' but they grinded it out and stuck through," Lowrie said about his team's win over Queen's, where the Mustangs needed five sets to dispose of the Gaels, but pulled it out 16-14.
"It just came down to us just wanting it more," Simpson commented about the finale of the Queen's game.
The atmosphere at Alumni Hall felt a lot like an away game for the Mustangs because of the boisterousness Gael's men's team that could be found in the stands. Lowrie said he was upset about the lack of support for his team, but added it was a testament to his team's perseverance that they were able to play through it.
The Mustangs now sit as the top team in the OUA West at 7-2.
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