The Varsity Blues women’s volleyball team notched their eighth win of the season with a 3-1 (25-23, 25-23, 20-25, 25-16) victory over the Western Mustangs on Saturday, January 7 in London, Ont.

“Today we demonstrated outstanding focus and composure on the court one play at a time,” said Varsity Blues head coach Kristine Drakich. “Each player is committed to our goals and as a result we are competing and getting better every day. Our success this weekend was a results of the collective hard work of the team.”

Second-year rightside hitter and Ottawa native Charlotte Sider once again led the Blues, tallying a game-high 16 kills and adding 10 digs on the night.  Rookie Denise Wooding of North Vancouver, B.C., had 11 kills and 11 digs, while setter Malena Rapaport (Vancouver) added 35 assists and 10 digs in the win.

The first and second sets were see-saw battles, both ending in 25-23 favours for Toronto. The third set started the same way, with U of T holding an 8-7 lead early on; however Western rallied and consistently held a four-point lead before closing with a 25-20 advantage.  The Blues went onto regain their composure and handily take the fourth to secure the win.

The victory leaves the Blues in second place with an 8-3 record, while the Mustangs drop to 6-4 and are in a three-way tie for fifth in the OUA.  

Toronto returns to the court next Sunday, January 15 as they head to Ryerson to take on the Rams. Opening serve is scheduled for 2 p.m.

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