Women’s volleyball closes season with perfect record

With a 19-0 record in the regular season, the Ryerson Rams (external link)  women’s volleyball (external link)  team has made history: they’re the first Ryerson varsity team to collect a perfect record since 1958-59 men’s hockey.

Closing their regular season with a 3-1 win at Nipissing on February 25, the team enters the OUA quarter-final on Saturday, facing Waterloo at the MAC. But even with the record season, head coach Dustin Reid (wrapping his 10th year as coach) is keeping things in perspective: “We’ve been in close matches, we’ve come out on the right side in each one.”

When asked what he attributes the record to, Reid said, “I think our program has been improving for a number of years, and we’ve been continuing to add great players, so we took a good step forward. We won a lot of close games—you can’t walk over every team—so we’ve been able to handle ourselves in the tight matches. We like to compete, and we have a good time together as a group—that makes the matches fun, and that allows us to play our best.”

Reid added that the team has benefitted from a relative lack of injuries and a strong lineup. “When we’ve had injuries, we’ve had players who have been able to move into the starting lineup and play really well for us. Having a deeper team sets us apart from previous years.

The final games have been bittersweet, with five key players (Christie Robinson, Haroula Giovanopoulos, Julie Longman, Jade Griffiths, Jena Bonello) graduating. Jade Griffiths (outside hitter) says that the team benefitted from the strong alchemy between younger and older players. “We had a few recruits, and I think having a younger team took a bit of pressure off,” said Griffiths. “They brought a lot of energy, and it boosted our confidence. We were able to focus on the task at hand.”

“When other teams are trying to figure out how to play against us, we don’t really have one key player to focus on,” said Julie Longman (libero). “We have such a spread offense, and all of our players are scoring. Also, we have a young team, and when you’re younger, you don’t play with as much pressure. They help us play with a lot more freedom.”

For the graduating teammates, the playoffs will be a bittersweet time. “I feel like it hasn’t quite clicked yet, because we potentially have three weeks left,” said Griffiths. “If anything, I’m trying to enjoy every moment I have left with the team. After this year I might not play the sport again at this level, so I want to make the most of this year.”

“It’s really exciting that we have this group of people that have a chance to do something special, and I’m glad that I get to be a part of that,” said Longman.

Looking ahead to OUA, Reid cautions against complacency. “I think the first important step is to recognize that the regular season is over. While we’re very proud of the record we have, it doesn’t give us a head-start on the playoffs. Nothing we did in the past matters as much now, and when you lose a match in the playoffs, your season ends.

“If we get in that mindset, and continue to relax and play with a lot of joy and competitiveness, I think we’re going to have a lot of fun in the playoffs.”

The OUA quarter-final begins on Saturday, March 3 at 4 p.m. at the MAC, with the Rams facing Waterloo.