It was a wild start this past weekend in the 2013 home openers as Redeemer came out of the gate strong and posted a 4-1 record. It was an excellent effort by the Royals who began the stretch run to the playoffs with a bang. Men's Volleyball went 2-0, Men's Basketball went 1-0, and Women's Volleyball went 1-1.

On Friday night, Redeemer hosted volleyball powerhouse Nipissing University. The Lady Royals (5-6) put in a strong effort against one of the top teams in the country and almost forced the Lakers (9-2) into a 5 set match but fell just short with a 28-26 loss in the 4th game. Other scores were 25-12, 18-25, and 25-9.

Curtiss Straatsma (Brampton, ON) dominated at the net in the loss putting up 20 total points from 18 kills, 1 ace, and 1 block. Second semester transfer Yakira Smeltzer had 6 kills for the Royals in her Redeemer debut. Rebekah Wright (Burlington, ON) had a game-high 14 digs for the Royals.

Jacquie Dyball had a team-high 17 points for Nipissing in the win.

On Saturday, Redeemer's Women's Volleyball team had little trouble with the visiting Canadore Panthers (0-11) as they defeated them 3-0 (25-9, 26-24, and 25-22). Once again Curtiss Straatsma ran wild with 17 kills, 5 aces, and 2 blocks for 24 total points. April Passchier (Kitchener, ON) added 6 kills and 4 aces for Redeemer in the win. Rebekah Wright once again led all players in the game with 13 digs in a very strong defensive effort.

Hayley Julien had 6 points to lead the Canadore Panthers.

Heading into the new week, the Lady Royals sit at 5-6 with 10 points. They are currently tied for 5th place with the Sheridan Bruins and Niagara Knights. The top 6 teams from the West Division continue on with the top 2 teams getting a bye and teams 3-6 advancing to a crossover match with the East Division.

On the Men's side, Redeemer picked up a pair of victories including a thrilling 3-2 win over the #1 team in the Country (Nipissing Lakers) on Friday night.
Full Story Here: Royals Stun Canada's #1 Again

On Saturday, the Royals made quick work of the Canadore Panthers (1-10) in a 3-0 win. Game scores were 25-17, 25-16, and 25-16. Redeemer was able to spread around the offense as 10 players recorded 2 or more points. Aaron Vanderlugt (Burlington, ON) led all Royals in the match with 10 total points.

Dan Trudel had 11 points for Canadore College.

The Men's team now runs their record to 9-2 which puts them in a tie for 1st place in the OCAA West with Nipissing. The Royals will continue to fight for one of the elusive top two spots who receive a bye directly to the OCAA Men's Volleyball Championships.

The Royals put their 8 game win streak on the line this Friday when they travel to Conestoga College in Kitchener for an 8pm match. The women's team takes the court at 6pm.

The Men's Basketball team (4-8) got back on track this weekend with an important victory over Canadore College (0-11) on Saturday evening. The Royals defeated the Panthers 80-56 in a convincing win where the game never seemed to be in doubt for Redeemer.

The Royals rode a 39-26 halftime lead as they outscored Canadore in every quarter. Redeemer had strong games from a number of players with 5 Royals putting up double-digit points. Paul Hart (Ancaster, ON) had a team-high 16 points. Chris McFadden-Martin (Oakland, USA) and Calvin Turnbull (Burlington, ON) each had a double-double for Redeemer.

Jevon Marshall had a game-high 20 points for Canadore.

The Men's Basketball team will now begin preparing for a huge upcoming weekend where they will face Algoma University (7-4) on Friday and Sault College (2-9) on Saturday. The women's team is also back in action as they face Algoma (9-1) on Friday as well before taking the court again Sault (0-10) on Saturday.