Canadore Volleyball teams 1-3 on Southern Ontario road trip

Women’s Results
The Lady Panthers lost to the Niagara Knights 3-0 (26-24, 25-12, 25-11). In the first set the Panthers fought back to tie the Knights at 24-24, but in the end the Knights won .

“The 26-24 loss was one of the best games of the season,” said head coach Tyler Landry.

The Lady Panthers picked up their second win of the season against the Sheridan Bruins Saturday. The Panthers came out firing from the start and did not look back. The Lady Panthers put the Bruins away 3-0 (25-16, 25-20, 25-22). A well-balanced attack by the Lady Panthers and great defense allowed the Panthers to control the match. Sophie Rocheleau, who was sick with pneumonia for the past week, managed to battle back with a 10 points showing against the Bruins. Ariane Thibault led all scores with 18 points, 12 kills, 4 stuff blocks and 2 service aces. “We played our game the way we can play. Everybody was intense and we had fun playing,” said Ariane Thibault. Captain Kerry Turner, who also had a strong showing with 8 offensive points, commented “It was great to see the girls play as a team and not give up.” Head coach Tyler Landry summed up the game “Saturday’s match was the most complete match played. This is why we coach- when your players compete and are able to accomplish all their goals.”

Men’s Results
The Panthers had a disastrous performance Friday night as they were completely dominated by the Niagara Knights losing 3-0 (25-8, 25-17, 25-8). “Niagara is a very tall team with a huge block. The very first play of the game, the Knights stuff blocked Panther left-side Jordon McGuinty… it mentally took the guys out of the game. They were completely intimidated,” commented head coach Diane Clarke. Down 15-10 in the second set, the Panther’s lost their leading scorer McGuinty to an ankle injury. It in unknown whether he will recover before the end of the season.

Saturday’s game versus the Bruins, the Panther’s began slowly. The Bruins won the first set 25-14. During the second set, the Panther’s started to gain some energy but they could not hold onto a 22-19 lead. The Bruins won 25-23 in what was shaping up to be a fantastic match. The Panther’s came out and dominated the third set winning 25-17. The Bruins held a 23-21 lead in the fourth set before the Panther’s fought back to force a fifth and deciding set. The final set was back and forth with the game going to extra points before a Bruins serve landed in, giving Sheridan the 18-16 victory.

“With McGuinty out due to injury, other players needed to step up and fill in some spots in the line-up” stated Co-captain Joey Rainer.

“Brandon Vingerhoeds, normally our starting middle, did a fantastic job playing left-side.”

Brandon added 14 offensive points in the defeat while Mike Smith led the team with 22 offensive points.

The Panthers will be preparing for the upcoming weekend when they visit the league leading Humber Hawks on Saturday and Fanshawe College on Sunday.

Submitted to BayToday.ca