OAKVILLE, Ont. (By Kevin John Sacdalan) - The Sheridan Bruins women's volleyball team (7-9 OCAA) took the win in a critical match at home against their rivals Mohawk College (8-8 OCAA).
The Lady Bruins came out of the gates strong with a 25-21 win in the opening set. However, Mohawk responded in the second set, 25-21, levelling the match at a set apiece.
It became a back and forth matchup, as the Double-Blue took the third, 25-17, and Mohawk stole a close fourth, 29-27, to force a fifth and final set.
The Lady Bruins took an early lead in the fifth set, heading into the changeover with the 8-3 lead. They ended up riding the momentum until the end, taking the set 15-7, and the match, 3-2.
"I think this match really helped us out," Bruins' outside hitter Tara Aune said. "We had the motivation to really pull through. A little bit in the fourth set we fell apart, but we all came back together in the fifth and we got the win."
This match marked the first five set win for the Lady Bruins this OCAA season. Their two previous five setters came in losses to the hands of Redeemer.
"Our fifth set was probably the best fifth set we've ever played," Aune added. "Everybody pulled through. Everybody was very aggressive with our hitting and I think that's what really did it for us."
In a tight race for the playoffs, Bruins' head coach Scott Hunt understood the importance of this win for a berth in the postseason.
"It's a big win for us," Hunt said. "Obviously there's still a couple of games left to go, so we haven't clinched anything yet, but this puts us in a good position moving forward."
The Bruins hold the sixth and final playoff spot in the OCAA West division with Cambrian (7-9 OCAA) right behind them.
The Lady Bruins are back in the court in a road match against the Niagara Knights (13-3 OCAA). These teams squared off once this season with Niagara taking the match in four sets.
