By: Sarah Maat

SCARBOROUGH, Ont. — Aided by the return of their captain Pedro Casellatto, the Centennial Colts defeated the Durham Lords in four sets (25-16, 25-22, 25-18, 25-21) to earn their 12th win of the season and extend their win streak to seven.

The Colts met the Lords on Sunday afternoon for their second encounter this season. Just as the Colts did the first time around, they defeated the Lords in a game pushed to four sets.

According to Head Coach Clayton Couchman, Casellatto's return played a critical role in the match: "He's our captain. He's big for the stability of our mental game and how we play on the court. But outside of that, he's one of the best servers, defenders and passers in the OCAA. Our serve and receive is excellent, and he's a huge part of that. Without him, our game totally shifts."

The Colts started the match strong with a five-point lead early in the first set. They continued to dominate, pulling well ahead of the Durham Lords. The Colts held their largest lead of the game, when they went up 10-points over the Lords, winning the first set comfortably 25-16.

The second set was much closer as the Lords led for the first. The Colts steadily chipped away their lead, led by a surgical attack from Gianluca Righetto and Pedro Casellatto. Service errors by the Lords helped to keep the Colts on top to win the set 25-22.

In the third set, the Lords were determined not to get swept. Buoyed by the Colts' unforced errors, the Lords went up five, forcing the Colts to call a timeout. The Colts couldn't break the Lords' rhythm, however, and a few short points later, Durham had increased their lead to seven, closing the set 25-18 over Centennial.

"The energy from the very beginning was very intense. We dropped it down a little bit in the third set, and we couldn't pick it up. We were just a little nervous I guess, but the fourth set, we came back fresh and new," Casellatto said. "For the fourth set, we were like, no, we've got to get back on track. We've got to control the pace of the game. We've got to put our speed, our pace, our intensity." He continued.

The fourth set began with a solid rally and some good blocks from the Colts—a hint at what was to come.

For the first time in two sets, the Colts started out with a lead, one they would carry for the rest of the game. It was a war of attrition but the Colts pulled out on top, winning the fourth set and the match, 25-21.

The Colts will play their next game on Wednesday, where they'll look to continue their winning streak with a victory over the Seneca Sting.