When the team switched sides in the fifth set, it appeared as if the Seneca Sting were going to pull off a huge upset to help them move up the OCAA standings. The Cambrian Golden Shield had other ideas as they mounted a comeback and won the match in five sets.
Seneca came flying out of the locker room to start the match and led 9-4. The Golden Shield settled into their game plan and quickly turned the momentum in their favour. Cambrian played strong for the second half of the opening set and won 25-17.
The Golden Shield carried that momentum over into the second set as they led 11-8. That was when Amy Sayaveth came live on the outside with a pair of big kills which helped propel the Sting to a 12-11 lead. Seneca would go on to win the set 25-22.
In the third set, Seneca dominated from the outset as they took a commanding 16-6 lead. Coming off the bench for an injured Sayaveth, Allana Ferguson had a kill from the back row which gave her team a 20-7 lead. Cambrian strung together a late rally before a pair of kills by Kim Cedros gave her team a 24-14 lead. Seneca would close out the set on the very next rally following a kill by Ferguson which was originally ruled out before the referee overruled the linesman.
The final two sets provided fans with excitement on nearly every point. Seneca led 12-9 in the fourth set, often finding a soft spot in the Cambrian defence for a number of early points. A dump by setter Charito Humphreys gave Seneca a 14-11 lead. Cambrian's Shawna Metcalf took over the match at that point with a number of powerful swings from the left side. Cambrian would go on to win the set 25-17.
In the final set, Cambrian led 4-3 before five straight points gave Seneca an 8-4 lead as the teams switched sides. The Golden Shield then scored seven straight points before Seneca once again looked for the upset. Cedros was credited with a kill from the back row to pull within one at 13-12 before a Cambrian net violation tied the score. Cambrian went on to win the set 15-13 and the match 3-2.
Febbie Valenzuela topped Seneca with 15 kills with Cedros adding 14. Libero Clare Weisser had 15 digs along with 10 from both Cedros and Humphreys.
Cambrian was led offensively by Metcalf who had 19 kills. Emilie Lavoie added eight kills while Sara Charlton had a match-high three blocks. Deanna Bedard had 19 digs for the Golden Shield.
The Seneca Sting (6-6) will travel to play the Trent Excaliber (9-1) next Saturday at 6 p.m. while the Cambrian Golden Shield (9-2) will host Algonquin (6-5) next Saturday at noon.
Source: Seneca College