Alyssa Dool
Contributor
The York Lions volleyball home opener began with a roar. They took to the court with swagger in every step. From this point on, it was obvious that our lady Lions would claim victory, as they thumped the Western Mustangs 3-1.
The Mustangs were the first on the board, but with major plays by Melissa Humaña-Paredes and Thinesa Sriskandarajah, the Lions were able to take the first set.
York did not let up during the second set, and the crowd was beginning to feel the excitement the players were obviously experiencing. The teams defence picked up, igniting the team even more.
Stephanie Green and Tisha Rouse consistently blocked incoming volleys and spikes throughout the set. Players Brandie Wilkerson and Sheraine Henry were quick on their feet, smashing spikes into the opponent’s face. The set ended with another 25-18 lead and the atmosphere was electrified with the two-set win.
Although the Lions came away with the win, there were some shaky areas during the game.
“I think we got a little too
excited,” says Humaña-Paredes, “and too caught up with everything.”
The Lions’ streak was over with the third set. The players lost focus and their defence wasn’t nearly as dominant as it had been. Rebecca Oxland from the Mustangs was able to bypass the Lions defence easily. The Mustangs trampled the Lions with a 25-18 lead. The opportunity for a Western comeback had been created.
In the fourth set the Lions powered through scoring the first four points in the set and overcoming the resistance of the Mustangs. Sriskandarajah received the serve from the Mustangs and Wilkerson set up the spike for Humaña-Paredes, giving the Lions a 20-9 lead.
The home opener wrapped up with a solid 3-1 lead.
“I think we did an excellent job, we did really awesome,” says Lions setter Tisha Rouse, player of the match. “We really capitalized on everything we were working on in practice.”
What are the next steps for the Lions?
“There’s still a lot of things that we need to work on,” says head coach Nick Tran. “I thought at times our offence was a little disjointed, so that’s something we’ll continue to work on.”
The Lions hoped to carry this momentum into the following day against the Windsor Lancers on October 22.
