Devastating loss to Durham in Wolves men’s volleyball home opener

Oct. 25 commemorated the home opener for the Algonquin Wolves men’s volleyball team, with the Wolves suffering a devastating 3-1 loss.

The second game of the season invited hoots and hollers from the crowd as the Wolves faced the Durham Lords.

During warmups, the Wolves sported pink Algonquin College jerseys in support of fighting breast cancer. The game also featured a raffle for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The Wolves opened the first set strong, reaching 13-8 in the first half of Set 1. The Lords were able to make a quick catchup, tying the score 17-17.

With strong liberos Malcolm Spence and Ben Puskas contributing to defence, the Wolves won the first set after a tight match, 25-23.

The second set started with the crowd chanting “Let’s go Wolves!”

Set 2 opened with an advantage for the Lords as the team made player swaps, inviting the strong libero Ben Rocehleau onto the court.

Despite a fierce offence from the Lords, the Wolves opened the second set 10-5. Ethan Fisher scored a point, leaving Lords coach Dwayne Cochrane red-faced and screaming as he disputed a call by the referee.

A bold move was pulled by one of the Wolves liberos, Puskas, to recover a point. Puskas leapt the scorers’ table during the game, desperate to prevent the ball from going out, but to no avail.

The bleachers began to shake, and the sounds of thundering feet hit the floors in support of the home team.

The second set ended 25-20, in favour of the Lords.

In the third set, the Wolves came back stronger than ever.

The Wolves regained their strength, switching to a defensive strategy, and were finally able to score points over the Lords’ wall block.

A timeout was called at 11-8, with the Lords in the lead.

However, a few balls reaching the out zone meant trouble for the Lords as the Wolves made a comeback to be tied 17-17.

The Wolves struggled against the Lords’ setters, making for a devastating third-set loss, 25-22.

The game carried into a fourth set as the Wolves set up for an offensive comeback.

In the end, the Lords remained victorious, ending the fourth set 28-26. The Lords secured their victory at 3-1.

“We’re fairly young, we’re a new team reforming,” said Algonquin Wolves player, Mahmoud Abdelaziz. “It’s about learning to keep the energy through the game.”

Abdelaziz said the Wolves have only two returning members from last year’s team. Three of the team’s new recruits are 18 years old.

“We showed a lot of heart and grit, but we’re going against Centennial tomorrow,” he said. “We lost 3-1 to Centennial last year, looking forward to making a comeback.”

The Lords’ Petrus Kuypers said that this may be the beginning of a good season for them.

“We won our last game, this is our second win in a row,” he said. “This may be the beginning of a winning streak for us.”

Algonquin College head coach Jelle Kooijan wasn’t too disheartened by the loss.

“We play again tomorrow, so there’s a quick turnaround,” he said. “We’re a young team with a lot of promise. We’re working on keeping our energy through the game.”

The Wolves were scheduled to face Centennial College on Oct. 26 at 8 p.m.