Thursday’s women’s tri-campus volleyball game between the UTM Eagles and the UTSC Maroons brought many fans to the RAWC to root for their teams.
As the Eagles delivered the first serve of the game, it became apparent that the teams were of equal skill. It was close throughout; the first set saw UTM charge forward as the Maroons nipped at their heels, and UTM succumbed, tying the score. UTM struggled to maintain a one-point lead, but luckily UTM got both the break and set points and won the first set.
Despite fierce competition from UTSC, the Eagles held their lead for the beginning of the second set, which looked like it would turn out like the first. Surprisingly, the Maroons surged past the Eagles and continued to increase their margin as UTM players suffered a series of small slipups. They struggled with handling the bounces and spikes from their opponents.
Despite their poor performance during the set, the Eagles showed composure and poise, encouraging their teammates not to be affected by the mistakes. They ultimately lost the second set to the Maroons.
As the third set began, both teams fought bravely to take command of the game. UTM achieved a large lead right out of the gate with an 8–1 surge, which helped to make up for the second set.
As the game progressed, UTM managed to get a lead of eight points, the widest gap in the game, wavering slightly in the final minutes, when UTSC came within five points. UTSC eventually lost to the home team by a score of 25–20.
UTM’s Kayla Colling elicited the most cheering from the home crowd during the night for her clutch acrobatic feat that returned a spike and saved the play (although the Maroons later won the point from the rally).
“We’ve improved so much from the beginning of the season, and it’s finally starting to all come together,” said Colling. “We’re starting to find our rhythm as a team. Hopefully we can keep that going through the rest of the season and continue to crush our competition.”
