ANCASTER, ON. Redeemer Men's Volleyball travelled to Oakville, ON for their second match of the season. The Royals dropped their season opener to the Niagara Knights in four sets and looked to bounce back against the Bruins.
The Head Coaches of the Bruins and Royals are familiar foes. During their respective playing careers, the two are amongst the OCAA's all-time best Libero's. Sheridan's Butchereit and Redeemer's Tolkamp sit 1-2 in the OCAA all-time digs leaders.
Saturday's match did not disappoint. Set one action had the Bruins establish home court winning 25-20. Redeemer has all the pieces to be a top team in the OCAA, however, they struggle to execute with the consistency that is needed for such a team. Set one had the Royals commit nine hitting errors to their ten kills.
Redeemer bounced back in the second set and won a contested match 25-23. The Royals improved on their attacking errors in each set. The Royals service pressure throughout the match was a key to the second-set victory. Redeemer had nine aces on the match and had the Bruins frequently out of system.
Third-set action got underway and the Royals stormed to an early lead. In each set, the Royals grabbed early command, yet allowed the Bruins to climb back into it on Redeemer hitting errors. The Royals continued to show flashes of an elite volleyball team, however, compounding unforced errors allowed the opposition to stay with the Royals.
The Royals dropped sets three and four 29-27 and 25-20. The Royals lose a crucial road match and fall to 0-2. The young Royals squad has the pieces to be an elite OCAA team and will look to peak at the right time.
Second-year tandem
Simon Bourne and
Jack Demik had excellent matches. Bourne recorded his second straight game-leading performance with 17 points. Demik continues to be a force through the middle of the court displaying his efficiency with a .385 hitting percentage. Fellow Middle
Caleb Joosse tagged closely behind Demik with a .364 hitting percentage. The Royals Middle duo will continue to show the league they are an Elite combination and amongst the league's best.
Redeemer's next match is Wednesday, October 30th. The Royals host the perennial powerhouse Fanshawe Falcons.
