GUELPH, Ont. - Wanting to build up some momentum heading into the December break, the Gryphons Women's Volleyball team did exactly that Sunday afternoon at the GGAC. Playing host to the Windsor Lancers, the Gryphons came out in attack mode and remained that way all match long en route to a 3-0 (25-10, 25-12, 25-20) victory.
Having suffered some hard fought defeats in their past few games, the Gryphons made sure on Sunday that there would be plenty of positives to take into the holiday season.
Right from the very first serve, the home side quickly showed they would be taking the game to the Lancers. Using strong serving and big kills, the Gryphons were able to use their power to take control of the opening set early on. Racing out to a 13-4 lead Guelph was able to build up plenty of breathing room in the early stages.Throughout the remainder of the set, Guelph would not look back. The Gryphons continued to use their strong all around game to take the first set 25-10.
In the second set, it was more of the same for the home team. Although it took a the Gryphons a little bit longer to separate from Windsor in the middle set, Guelph still managed to all the same. Leading 10-7, the Gryphs quickly went on a 6-0 run and extended their advantage to 16-7. From there, Guelph secured nine of the next 14 points to take a 2-0 set lead with a 25-12 victory.
Looking to finish the match strong and not have it go on any longer than three sets, the Gryphons ran into a little bit of early trouble from Windsor. The Lancers were able to take a 5-1 lead to begin the third set which led to Gryphon's head coach Paul Funk using a time-out. Out of the break, the Gryphons tallied five straight points to re-take the lead before extending it all the way to 17-8. However, the Lancers would not go quietly despite the deficit. Making a push and trimming the Gryphons lead to as little as 22-20, the Gryphons managed to withstand the Windsor surge and hold them off for a 25-20 win.
Leading the way for the Gryphons was former Lancer Jade Ziebarth who racked up 16 kills in the match. Alex Curran finished with a team-high 31 assists, while Tara Tanasijevic led Guelph in digs with 23.
The Gryphons will now get a bit of a break from scheduled play. Their next action will be after Christmas when they head to the Winnipeg Wesmen Exhibition tournament on December 28 & 29. They will return to OUA play when they head to North Bay on January 11 to take on the Nipissing Lakers.
