GUELPH, Ont. – On Saturday night (Nov. 12) at the Gryphon Athletic Centre the Guelph Gryphons women's volleyball team played host to the U SPORTS No. 4-ranked Brock Badgers in their third match of the 2022-23 OUA season. While the Gryphons opened the match with a close first set, they would eventually fall to the Badgers in straight sets 25-20, 25-17, and 25-19.
 
Following a strong first set the Badgers came out hot to start the second, pulling out to an 8-3 lead. The Gryphons would pull to within 2 points but after the Badgers regained their 5-point lead they would not let it go again, taking the second set 25-17. The third, and ultimately final, set would see both teams trade scores, coming to a 13-13 tie at the halfway point. After a Brock timeout the Badgers would go on a 12-6 run to close out the game.
 
The Gryphons received strong performances from several players in Saturday's match, with left side hitter and rookie Briar Crerar leading the way. Crerar finished the game with a team-high 10 kills, accounting for 11 Gryphon points. 2021 standout Sophie Fernback put in another impressive performance against the No. 4 team in the nation. The Vancouver native had 5 kills and 5 blocks to total 10 points. Another rookie with a strong performance was Sarah McNames, who accounted for 2 big blocks in the second set to keep the Gryphons in the match. Hamilton native Ella Carter, who is in her 3^rd season with the Gryphon volleyball program, was the leading helper at the setter position, tallying 22 kill assists.
 
The Gryphons (1-2) will look to bounce back on Sunday afternoon (Nov. 13) when they take on the Badgers (1-0) again in St. Catharines in the second game of a home-and-home series. The first serve is set for 1pm with the match available for streaming on www.oua.tv.