Eagles bounce back on the court for first wins of the season
Both volleyball teams as well as men’s basketball came away with important wins this past weekend.
Eagles volleyball fly to pair of wins
Two big victories came for the UTM men’s and women’s volleyball teams this past Sunday after successfully defending home court against Scarborough. Although the Eagles came into the game as underdogs, both teams were able to pull through for an important double win.
Walking into the games with a hard loss under their belts from the week prior, confidence was far from high for the women’s team. Even so, the women were able to make quick work of Scarborough, winning the first set 25-14.
However, the opposition was able to bounce back, taking the second set 17-25. Payton Bouvier, Eagles team captain, encouraged her team to keep fighting. “We always have each other’s backs and work cohesively to ensure that we each perform offensively and defensively even in tough situations,” said Bouvier during the break.
Even though the women lost their momentum, they were able to bounce back, dismantling Scarborough and winning the next two sets convincingly. Bouvier stated after the match that although the Eagles dropped an early set, they still “played well as a team.”
A similar story can be said for the men’s team, who also won their match in four sets. Even though the first set was tight, the men were able to pull through with a 25-22 win.
As was the case in the women’s match, the Eagles were unable to come away with a second-set win, dropping a nail-biting marathon 33-31. However, the men were eager to bring home their first win of the season, and the team pushed through, winning the next two sets back to back.
“The receives, blocks, and defensive coverage was on point,” said Abdullah Yousef, setter for the men’s team. Speaking on the massive improvements to the teams cohesion since last week, Yousef added the team did a better job “trusting each other and just having fun out there,” which, “made [it] possible to secure the win.”
Men’s basketball show dominance in first win of the season
The men’s basketball team was back in action for their third game of the season in Scarborough on November 17th. An uncharacteristic 0-2 start for a veteran led squad had tested the Eagles’ character in the early weeks of the season.
After a disappointing loss in their first meeting, the Eagles were back at the Pan Am Centre looking to get their revenge against UTSC.
The Eagles definitely delivered.
Right from the tip, the Eagles got out to an early 12-2 lead, hounding UTSC on the defensive end, and forcing early turnovers. Offensively, the Eagles were playing unselfishly, moving the ball, hitting cutters, and knocking down open shots.
UTSC stayed determined, cutting into the lead late in the second quarter, and cutting the Eagles lead down to 49-36 at half.
In the halftime huddle the Eagles—who were showing more urgency then their prior two games —knew this game was far from over. However, there was a different feeling and focus from this week compared to those prior.
The second half saw more energy from the crowd, and with each big play UTSC made, the crowd roared trying to build momentum. The Eagles remained composed, consistently responding to Scarborough’s pressure. Forwards Elijah Steiner and Andreas Jankovic owned the glass, combining for 27 rebounds, while captains Evan Mowder and Amro Matti combined for 41 points, hitting shots from all over the floor and controlling the pace of the game.
The team finished strong, and when the final whistle blew, the scoreboard read 85-71 in favour of the Eagles.
“The team showed great resilience,” said Matti after the win. “[The team] had each other’s back and communicated with excellence.”
With their first win under their belt, the Eagles now know what it takes going forward. No game will be easy, but as time goes on, this brotherhood will only get stronger.
