The Waterloo Warriors couldn’t contain the explosive Queens Gaels squad and were handed their seventh straight loss of the season Friday night at the PAC.
The Warriors fought hard but couldn’t stand up to the Gaels, who defeated Waterloo 3–1. The first half of the initial set saw the Gaels looking to bury the Warriors, taking a seven-point lead early in the set and allowing the Warriors to score only a single point, making it 8–1. The Warriors managed to add a couple of points to their score but were unsuccessful in keeping Queens under control, making in 18–9 by the half of the first set. The Gaels secured the set with a 25–15 score.
Waterloo came out stronger during the second set, improving their defence with impressive blocks and a well-organized offence. Emily Needles, Natasha Spaling, and Sammie Gwzodz gave the Warriors the advantage with strong individual plays throughout the set. The Warriors took their first lead with a 5–2 score. The second set saw a fast exchange of points by both squads who were unwilling to give a single point. Waterloo led the Gaels by no more than a couple of points for much of the set and secured the set by five points, closing it 25–20 for the Warriors.
Unfortunately for the black and gold, that was the only set they could resolve against Queens. The Warriors started the third set determined to take the lead, causing a rapid exchange of points between the two teams. Spaling, Needles, and Gwozdz were once again fundamental for the Warriors squad, but that wasn’t enough to keep the Gaels down, who in exchange led 16–13 at the technical timeout. The timeout gave the Warriors some breathing space and proved to be favourable since Waterloo scored seven of the next 11 points, tying the game at 20–20.
Queen’s #17, Brett Hagarty, killed any comeback hopes for the Warriors by scoring three straight points for the Gaels, shifting the momentum of the match, making it 23–20 in favour of Queens. The Warriors were unable to stop the attack and lost the set 25–21, giving the Gaels a 2–1 advantage.
The fourth set saw the Warriors come out determined to tie the game, which they managed to do for the first half of the last set. Errors on the Warriors side ended up defining the game, making it 16–13 before the first timeout. The Warriors couldn’t find their legs again and ended up losing the set by two points, making it 25–23 in favour of the Gaels.
Sammie Gwozdz and Claire Mackenzie led the Warriors with 13 and 12 kills, while Needles scored 34 assists, six digs, and two services aces. The Warriors will face the Ryerson Rams Nov. 23 in Toronto.
