THUNDER BAY – The Lakehead Thunderwolves sent their seniors out in style.
On the night the women’s volleyball team honoured departing veterans Jennifer Hammerton, Leah Mousseau, Rheanna Geisel, Christie Lowe and Jessica Korchak, the Wolves closed their 2017-18 campaign with a second straight win over the Brock Badgers, knocking off their OUA West rival in four sets.
Mousseau, an Ottawa native who finished with 11 kills and 16 digs, said it was a great way to say goodbye.
“It was really good. We had a game plan in mind and it really nice to see all the girls focused,” she said. “We came out and executed the game plan really well. We did our seniors well.
“It’s emotional, for sure. But I’m proud of what I’ve done the last four years and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Hammerton, who hails from Beachville, Ont., was happy to finish with a pair of wins, which upped Lakehead’s record to 6-13, tied with Brock for sixth in the division.
“It was a good ending, it was a good season. It wasn’t the season that we wanted, but we ended on a high, winning both games,” Hammerton said.
The Wolves made easy work of the Badgers in the opening set, taking it 25-18 while leading all the way. Brock evened the match with a 25-23 win in the second, taking control midway through the set and holding off a hard-charging Wolves team looking to tie the game at 24.
It was all Lakehead the rest of the way.
The Thunderwolves grabbed a 2-1 lead with a 25-18 win in the third and closed it out with a 25-16 triumph in the fourth.
LU coach Chris Green said it was a good ending to a season that didn’t go as planned.
“It’s good for the girls, it’s good for the seniors. It’s the way that a lot of games should have gone this year, but we just didn’t make that happen consistently enough. This weekend we had all facets going. It was nice. This was the two most complete games we played all year,” Green said.
“Unfortunately it’s at the right time, but the wrong time.”
He credited his team’s passing game, something he said the Badgers lapsed on.
“The difference is our girls served them aggressively. They did a better job last night, but we still did a better job defending against the bad passes than they did against us. And for the most part our girls pass really well,” Green said.
While the veteran coach has plenty of holes to fill next season, building on the likes of rookies Megham Routier, who had 18 kills and an equal number of digs, Haleigh Kearns and Rachel Sweezey, he likes where the program is headed.
“We’re into having this group continuing to mature. We had two rookies on the floor the whole second half of the season who are really good,” Green said. “So we need to find some size. We’ve got to get some big kids coming in. And we’re on that already.”
Lakehead last made the OUA playoffs in 2013.
