Wolves women’s volleyball team starts the new year on fire

The Wolves women’s volleyball team beat the Canadore Panthers on Jan. 10, sweeping all three sets at the Jack Doyle Athletics and Recreation Centre.
The Wolves’ exceptional serving and play around the net led them to a comfortable victory as they won every set by a minimum of eight points.
“We served really, really well today. We only missed six serves in three sets, so that was great,” said head coach Everton Senior.
Aside from being scarily accurate, the Wolves’ serves were also deadly as the team racked up 16 served aces.
However, this performance was not necessarily surprising as Algonquin’s Grace Pate and Carys Tenthorey are both in the top five players in the OCAA for aces per set.

Algonquin’s middle blocker Jillian Dawson had a particularly good run of serves in the first set, ultimately giving the Wolves the lead.
“We were serving really hard, and really consistently. One of our best serving days today,” said Isabella Tourangeau, the Wolves’ middle hitter.
Tourangeau, who is among the top three in the OCAA for blocks per set, led a very strong effort at the net for the Wolves as well. The team scored 49 kills on 100 attempts, outscoring the Panthers by 22 in that department.
“I preach aggression as much as we possibly can, but you have to be smart aggressively. The girls did well with that. I don’t have any real complaints today,” said Senior.
Natasha Lauzon was a particular standout around the net, as her 17 kills were the most in the game. Speaking on the team’s performance, Lauzon said, “We all connected really well today. I think everyone played really well.”

Canadore tried to match Algonquin with their own offensive firepower, with Kassidy Dyer and Elise Churman having more than 10 kills each. The Wolves’ defence stood up to the task though, as the team accumulated 35 digs in the game, led by the libero Jordan Faig with 10.
“We communicated well (and) we played in unison. We couldn’t ask for a better game,” said Faig.
“This game, specifically, was important for us because they were a hard game when we played in their gym,” said Dawson. “The crowd brought us a lot more energy, which is something we really need.”
Looking ahead, the Wolves have six more regular season games until the playoffs, and the team spirits are high.
“I can only see us going up from here. We are just getting better every practice, every game. We are meshing better together. The chemistry is there,” said Tourangeau.
“I’ve seen it, we’ve hit another level before,” Lauzon added.
Currently at 9-3, Algonquin is tied with Durham for second place in the eastern conference of the OCAA.
Dawson predicted big things for the Wolves if their stellar play continues.
“I think we could be one of the top teams in the east if we wanted to,” Dawson said.