Women’s volleyball: Wolves eliminated from playoffs in the first round

The Wolves women’s volleyball season ended on Feb 8. after they lost at home in the first round of the playoffs against the Cambrian Golden Shield.

The Wolves’ regular season ended with an impressive 12-6 record, granting them home court in the first round of the playoffs.

Going into the game, the hosts led the visitors in most regular season statistics, including kills per set, aces per set and digs per set.

Cambrian had their two best players, Carlie Pappano and Mackenzie Selk, in great form. Pappano, third in the OCAA for kills, and Selk, second in the OCAA for digs, found themselves in the middle of everything positive for the Golden Shield.

The Wolves struggled to find their footing in the first two sets, as their opponents carved out big leads early on in both sets. Carys Tenthorey and Grace Pate were consistent sources of offence for the Wolves, as they tallied 14 and 10 kills respectively.

Cambrian’s offence quickly smothered the Wolves’ comebacks, jumping out to a 2-0 lead in sets.

“We came out really flat and nervous. (We) made things difficult for ourselves,” said Wolves coach Everton Senior.

The third set was more effective for the Wolves as their net play hit a new level. Isabella Tourangeau really came into her own, recording 11 kills.

“I think this was one of my best games. I have been in my head a little bit,” said Tourangeau.

“I said I need to show up for my team today and I think I did a pretty good job.”

Tourangeau and Pate teamed up on the final two points of the third set, giving the Wolves a set.

In the fourth set, the Wolves’ libero Jordan Faig tried her best to keep Cambrian’s offence at bay, but Cambrian would ultimately win the game.

The Wolves joined Seneca and Durham as three of the top four teams in the eastern conference who suffered a home loss in the first round of the playoffs.

Golden Shield libero Selk was exceptional, seemingly covering every inch of the court with her digs and receives.

“She is insane, she is the heart and soul of the team defensively,” said Cambrian coach Dale Beausoleil. “We love her to death.”

Selk said she grew into the game as she got more touches on the ball.

“I started a little bit shy, but as the serves kept coming, I was like, yeah give it to me, I’m going to keep passing this stuff,” she said.

Although Algonquin’s playoff ambitions came to an early end, Senior is still proud of his team’s performance.

“One match shouldn’t define our season and we had a good season,” said Senior. “We started most of our matches with three rookies, which bodes well for us next season. With a year of experience, we can be that much better.”