STORY AND PHOTOS BY DAVID PELOSI
Thanks to the fast hands of Jeremy Fantin, the Sheridan Bruins men’s volleyball team (5-8 OCAA) defeated the Redeemer Royals 3-2, in a five-set thriller Jan. 18.
The Bruins effective offensive strategies allowed for crucial digs to turn into fierce kills by Josh Butler and Fantin, who delivered the crippling blow in the final set, outscoring the Royals 15-13.
“You saw how hard they played together as a team, although our record was 4-8, they’ve always stuck together, they’ve always played for each other,” said Bruins head coach Dave McAllister.
The appropriate adjustments in defense meant Matt Bandy would earn a season high of 23 digs. A number of critical blocks from Chris Adams and Fantin allowed the Bruins to power through and take three consecutive sets against one of the OCAA’s toughest volleyball teams.
The Bruins kept the momentum running high from early in the match, forcing the Royals to win by two in the first set, 26-24. Royals redeemed their play in the second set outscoring the Bruins 25-22.
Sheridan dominated the third set 25-15, consistently striking into the Royals zone and creating a comfortable 10-point advantage for the Bruins.
Fantin sent through a brilliant spike in the fourth set to give them the lead, followed up by a bullet kill from Butler solidifying the lead.
“It’s nice to see that they get the end result of working hard and sticking together. These guys are like brothers and they deserve this,” said McAllister.
Beforehand, the Sheridan Bruins women’s volleyball team (1-11 OCAA) fell to Redeemer in a 3-1 loss.
The Lady Bruins managed to relinquish their first set 25-21, only giving up the lead once.
“We passed the ball well off of the serves, which allowed us to attack properly,” said Bruins head coach Patrick Krychowski.
Sheridan worked strong offensive movements early in the game, delivering the ball to power strikers Sommer Maltby and Jacinta McAndrew to take control over the first set.
A shift in momentum allowed the Royals to take down the final trio of sets.
The Royals wouldn’t let up easily, capitalizing on strikes into the Bruins zone to give them a comfortable lead.
A lack of consistency in their defensive game play cost them the second set, falling 25-18.
A hot hand on the serve from Eva Crnkovic helped bring the Bruins within reach in the third set. The Royals proved to be a challenge, outscoring the Bruins 25-22.
“They’ve got seven players over six feet tall, so we did a great job defensively, we just couldn’t hold the momentum that we had in the first,” said Krychowski.
The Redeemer Royals blew out the final set defeating the Bruins 25-8.
The Bruins next double-header will be on the road against Boreal, Jan. 31.
