Algonquin Wolves put up a fight against Durham Lords in final game of season
The Durham Lords beat the Algonquin Wolves after a stomach-churning game on Feb. 2 at Durham College in Oshawa.
The Wolves’ Riley Lancia drilled the ball through the court of the Lords for a service ace to kickstart the game. Spirits were high and the Wolves were determined to get a memorable win over the Lords.
Doing so would have broken Durham’s long-standing streak, who remain undefeated against Algonquin since 2017.
“Since I’ve been here, we have yet to beat Durham in a game so we were all really fuelled. With La Cite beating them yesterday, we were really fired up and we really wanted to take home that win,” said libero Jordan Faig after the game.
Fourth-year player Natasha Lauzon killed it in the first set, scoring three service aces and tying the game 6-6. The Wolves then won five straight points, showing the Lords they meant business.
The Lords attempted multiple digs against the Wolves’ vicious play but were unable to fight back as the Wolves ran off five straight kills.
A few spikes were fired by the Lords’ middle Chelsea Oak, and the two teams battled neck-and-neck for a victory.
The second set started with a bang, as Lancia blocked and spiked a return from Tia Chang, setting off a wild celebration from the Wolves.
“Everyone was screaming quite a lot, we were trying to keep the energy loud. With the big home crowd they had, we had to be loud ourselves,” said Faig.
Despite a vengeful 10-point run by the Lords, the Wolves made an impressive comeback. The team was down 20-12 and advanced to a tie-game within the span of five minutes.
Following the massive turnover, the Lords managed to keep themselves alive, winning the second set 33-31.
The Wolves slowed down and the Lords capitalized, taking the third set 25-11.
“I think we left it all on the line, and we did dip a little bit in the third set but we came back and we didn’t let it get to us,” said Faig.
The fourth set showed strong defence from the Wolves, levelling out the score until the very end. The Wolves continuously showed determination and resilience against the pressure from the Lords, despite losing the final set 25-22.
The intensity of the game could be felt in the air, the score bouncing back and forth with the Lords’ eight-year winning streak on the line against the Wolves.
“We kept fighting to the end, we went to 30-something (points) but I think we played really good,” said right-side hitter Grace Pate.
Pate is confident the Wolves have a fighting chance in the playoffs, if they continue their high-quality play from Oshawa.
Pate played exceptional offence, with 36 total attacking attempts recorded by the end of the game.
“It was just a good match overall, lots of good plays on both sides. Durham’s a good team, so we know it’s gonna be a tough match,” said Wolves head coach Everton Senior.
Senior noted that a few of the girls on the team were feeling under the weather and he was hopeful they would have full recoveries before the playoff game against Cambrian College.
“We’re hoping to have a really big crowd to help fuel our energy for that game. With how we played today, if we continue that on, I think it’ll be a walk in the park,” said Faig.
