For the second time this season, the Ryerson Rams women's volleyball team and Waterloo Warriors went the distance. However, the result was different then the last time these two teams met in Waterloo, as the host Rams caught fire in the fifth set, tallying eight straight points to shock the Warriors with a 3-2 (25-21, 24-26, 25-19, 29-31, 15-8) victory at Kerr Hall Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.

Chelsea Jensen recorded a team-high 16 kills and 20 points, while rookies Emily Nicholishen and Chelsea Briscoe added 18 and 17 points in the victory. Laura Klein (Kitchener/) topped all players with 19 kills on the afternoon in a losing cause for the Warriors.

The Rams (5-8) were able to bounce back after squandering four match points in the fourth set when they were up 2-1 in the contest. The Warriors forced a fifth set, but looked to run out of gas after holding an 8-7 lead when the teams switched ends. Jensen served out the contest on the Rams' eight straight points, with rookie Danielle Lenarduzzi (Windsor, Ont.) picking up a game-ending kill, her only point of the match to go along with 15 assists.

Ryerson moves ahead of Waterloo (5-9) and keeps their drive for a playoff spot very much alive with the victory.

Kasandra Bracken (Sherwood Park, Alta.) began the match with an ace followed by a kill from Nicholishen (Whitby, Ont.), and the Rams jumped out to a 4-0 lead. However, the Warriors battled back, pulling within a point a couple of times leading up to the technical. The Rams took a 16-13 lead into the break, and quickly spread it to five on an ace from Nicholishen.

The Warriors bounced back with three straight to keep the set close. Up by one, Jensen (Georgetown, Ont.) nailed a kill into the open court to maintain the lead. An error by Klein was followed by another clutch ace by Bracken to put Waterloo on the brink. The Warriors saved two straight set points, but Oksana Kozak (Mississauga/) put her serve into the net, allowing Ryerson to take the opening stanza.

Natasha Spaling (Drayton/) picked up two-straight aces to begin the second set for Waterloo. The Rams answered as consecutive points from Jensen put the home team ahead by a couple. The Warriors won the next two, pulling even with Ryerson at 6-6.

The teams traded points after that, as Ryanne Hollies (Calgary, Alta.) denied the Warriors with a block, and Nicholishen opened the set up with a monster kill. Spaling brought Waterloo back with a block on Briscoe (Georgetown, Ont.) in the middle, and the teams were still tied going into the second half of the set.
Waterloo took a 16-14 lead into the technical timeout, and won the next point to go up by three. Ryerson took a timeout with the score at 19-15 for the Warriors, and the Rams would go on a three-point streak to pull within one, and a block by Briscoe after a strong serve from Emily Varga (Rodney, Ont.) notched the set at 21-21.

The squads traded points again, and Waterloo went up 24-23 to give themselves a set point opportunity, but Briscoe answered with an ace to even the set once again. However, Waterloo made good on its second chance, nailing an ace to even the match 1-1.

Neither side could carry a significant lead throughout the beginning of the third. The Rams went up by two on an ace by Nicholishen, and they would carry the small advantage into the technical timeout. After a block by Bracken on the first play after the break, the Warriors quickly stopped the game once again to talk things over.

Danielle Kamps (Vineland Station/) picked up a kill coming out of the timeout, but put her serve into the net on the following play. The women took advantage, recording two-straight points to go up 20-15. Jensen tallied a kill to continue the streak. Briscoe connected on a kill to bring Ryerson within a point of taking the set, and an ensuing ace by Hollies put the Rams up 2-1.

Kristen Sheffield (North Bay/) picked up an ace, but Briscoe answered with a block and kill as Ryerson took an early lead in the fourth. But for the fourth straight set, both teams could not muster more than a two-point spread early on. It stayed that way up to the technical timeout, with the visitors holding a 16-15 lead at the break.

The Rams went on a mini-streak after timeout to take an 18-16 lead. Briscoe tallied two kills along the way, but Waterloo pulled even again after three straight errors by Ryerson. Bracken found the court with a kill to put the Rams up 22-21, and after Klein tied it, a service error by the Warriors put the women within two points of the contest. Klein evened the game again, but Nicholishen picked up a huge block that just caught the line, setting up match-point for the Rams.

Waterloo would save two match points, and then earn a set-point by going up 26-25. Nicholishen evened the set again, and the set continue. A long rally at 27-27 ended with Nicholishen giving Ryerson its third match point, but Briscoe's serve went long.

Finally, after Waterloo saved the fourth match-point, an ace by Kayla Ng (London/) set up a second chance for them to take the set. The Warriors took advantage, forcing a final frame.

Briscoe picked up a block, but Sheffield tallied a kill as the fifth was tied early on 3-3. An ace from Kozak put Waterloo in front, and the visitors went up by two. However, Ryerson pulled even with a kill from Jensen. The squads switched sides with the Warriors holding a slim 8-7 lead before the Rams would catch fire to steal the victory.

Waterloo returns to action on Friday as they host the Guelph Gryphons at the PAC.  Game time is set for 6pm with live action being brought to you via SSN Canada.