BARRIE, Ont. – It wasn't pretty, but the Durham College women's volleyball team earned a 3-2 victory over the Georgian Grizzlies to open their 2017-18 season.
 
Durham started with a 25-20 first set win, but Georgian had a strong 25-14 win to answer in the second.
 
The Grizzlies continued their strong play over the next few sets, but Durham edged them 27-25 to take the third before Georgian walked away with a 25-17 win in the fourth to force the determining game.  
 
Georgian was poised to win the match, up late in the fifth, but the Lords dug deep after a timeout to pull out the match with a 15-13 fifth set.
 
Jessica Joensen (Pickering, Ont.) led the team with 14 points, centered around 11 kills, two aces and a block.
 
In her first OCAA match Cassidy Nicholson-Clarke (Ajax, Ont.) had a team-high three blocks, alongside four aces. Sarah Rayment (Whitby, Ont.) had a great first college match as well, with seven kills and a team-high five aces.
 
Allyson Terwillegar (Enniskillen, Ont.) also had a solid night offensively for Durham, putting up nine kills, most of which were set up by Megan Romain(Ajax, Ont.) who finished with 30-plus assists.
 
On the other side of the court, Quinn McGregor had a match-high 14 kills for Georgian. Her teammates Kathryn Marks and Alandria Czerkas each had a match-high four blocks each.
 
Durham continues their regular season this Sunday at home against the Canadore Panthers. First serve is 1 p.m. at the CRWC.
 
During the matches the Lords will be collecting funds in support of Cheryl Dustin, who is currently undergoing breast cancer treatment. They will also be wearing pink shirts, alongside their opponents to raise awareness about breast cancer.
 
QUICK LOOK AT THE LORDS
Overall Record: 5-5
Conference Record: 1-0
 
Next game: Sunday, Oct. 29 vs. Canadore Panthers (1 PM – CRWC)