12 games in five cities across three days gave us a Warrior weekend full of resiliency. 

Women's Basketball: Newell's consistency not enough against Ottawa gauntlet 

Friday night covered action on the court from the PAC to the nation's capital. After a huge win in their last matchup against Laurentian where they dominated the Voyageurs on home court, Women's Basketball had a tough time on the road in Ottawa; with a 76-54 defeat to the Gee Gees. Ghiselle Poblete (Brampton, Ont./) continued her strong form on the scoresheet, leading the team in points for the second straight game - scoring 14 - and shooting 5-12 from the field. Jaime Newell (Brussels, Ont./) once again led the team in rebounds with 9, a game after she recorded 20 rebounds against Laurentian; the second highest single game rebound performance across USPORTS this season. 

A new day and a new opponent did not fare well for Women's Basketball on Saturday, as they fell 67-45; to a Carleton Ravens team who have won two of the last three Critelli Cups. Newell once again demonstrated a steady effort across the stat sheet, going 7-8 from the line, and leading the team with 17 rebounds, 11 points, and two blocks.  

Men's Basketball: Warriors take down #5 Gee-Gees, fall to Ravens 

Men's Basketball's Friday evening against the #5 Gee-Gees at Montpetit Hall was all about locking down on defence, and halting a strong Ottawa squad in the fourth quarter; which the Warriors did with a huge 77-75 victory. Isaiah McRae came to play after missing the last game against Laurentian with an injury. He flew out of the gate with a game-high 30 points – shooting 11-19 from the field – and logging in 35 minutes on the court.  

Saturday for the men's team did not go in their favour either; falling to the East Division leading Ravens 93-49.  

Women's and men' basketball are back on the road this coming weekend. They face the Queen's Gaels – whose women's team came in at #5 in yesterday's U SPORTS top 10 – on Friday, and the Ontario tech Ridgebacks on Saturday. 

Women's Hockey: Back-to-back wins sets nationals hosts back on track 

As Women's Hockey took to the ice for the weekend, community spirit was on full display, as the Warriors took part in their third consecutive Hockey Fest in Owen Sound. For more on an afternoon for the ages, read the article here. 

Sunday afternoon for the Warriors brought themselves back home to take on the Ottawa Gee Gees, for only the fourth time in OUA competition. A victory which did not come easy, with Ottawa pressuring in the offensive zone with the goalie pulled in the final moments, the Warriors held on for a 2-1 victory. Brooke Williams (Valley, N.S./Cobequid Educational Center) opened the scoring in the first period – the fourth goal of her rookie season, off a beautiful backhand pass from Brodi Levitt (Caledonia, Ont./McKinnon Park) - and Tia Lascelle (Lancaster. Ont./Ontario Hockey Academy) netted the game winner on the power play in the third, for her second goal of the campaign.  

The Warriors will face the Varsity Blues once again on Friday, this time in Toronto. They'll stay in the city to face the TMU Bold on Saturday. 

Men's Hockey: western road trip goes south for black and gold 

Men's Hockey's weekend on the road brought tough competition and physicality on all fronts; with a couple of memorable moments for rookie Warriors. In a 6-3 defeat to the Western Mustangs on Saturday, 87 penalty minutes were collectively dished out on both sides. Jesse Fishman (Thornhill, Ont./Blyth Academy Downsview) netted his team leading fifth goal of the season in the first period, while Emmet Pierce (Napanee, Ont./NDSS) added a power-play marker in the second; Jaden Reyers (Komoka, Ont./Victus Academy) picking up assists on both goals. In the third period, rookie Brayden Velliaris (Toronto, Ont./Silverthorn Collegiate Institute) scored his first OUA goal with a seeing-eye slap shot from the blueline, that found its way in. 

On Sunday, the team took on the Guelph Gryphons, who currently hold second place in the Western Conference. The Warriors flew out of the gate in the second period, with goals from Cory Jewitt (Clinton, Ont./St Annes Catholic Secondary School) and Nathaniel Bierd; their second and fourth of the season respectively – Bierd's being scored on the power-play with a beautiful backhand tip in front of the net. In the third period, another rookie made his moment count. Evan Klein scored his maiden OUA goal, shovelling the puck home in the crease off a centering pass from Reyers; who distributed the puck brilliantly all weekend. Four goals from the Gryphons in the third however made the difference, and the Warriors fell 5-3. 

Men's Hockey is back at home next weekend, as they face the Borck Badgers at 7:00 PM Friday night, and the Toronto Varsity Blues at 4:00 PM on Saturday.  

Women's Volleyball: Milestone weekend for Loshusan in another home sweep 

Back in Waterloo, the weekend for Women's and Men's Volleyball was full of back-and-forth action, and HERstory being made. On Friday, facing the Toronto Varsity Blues, the women's team defeated the Varsity Blues 3-1, marking their first victory against Toronto at home in over 14 years. Leading the way for the Warriors on the attack in game one was the net-front trio of Sydney Batiuk (Prince Albert, Sask./Ecole St. Mary), Avery Isaacs (Calgary, Alta./Bishop Carroll High School), and Madison Seo (Ancaster, Ont./Westmount Secondary School). Batiuk and Isaacs had 14 and 13 kills respectively, and Seo delivered 41 assists. The star of the show however was libero Samantha Loshusan (Markham, Ont./Father Michael McGivney Catholic Academy), picking up 23 digs; including the 500th of her OUA career.  

On Saturday, their strong form against the Varsity Blues continued, with a second consecutive 3-1 win. Isaacs shone once again with 12 kills, Adyson Kelly (Calgary, Alta./Bowness High School) delivered a game-high 32 assists, and Mackenzie Leu (Waterloo, Ont./Bluevale Collegiate Institute) came through with a game-high four aces. HERstory…consider it made. 

Men's Volleyball: Warriors split gruelling 10-set double-header with #8 Toronto 

On the Men's side, the Warriors took on a Varsity Blues squad who came into the PAC with an unbeaten record. A heart-pounding match full of twists and turns, the Warriors dropped game one in five sets. Fehin Awobodu (Oakville, Ont./Hillfield Strathallan College Men's Volleyball Team) dominated at the net with 10 blocks, and Cohen Peters (Vancouver, B.C./Pacific Acadamy) set his teammates up to swing away with 48 assists. 

The following night, they bounced right back with a five-set win of their own. Peters added another 42 assists, Lucas Redmann (Winnipeg, Man./Dakota Collegiate) capped off a powerful weekend on offense with 12 kills, and AJ Nichols (Aurora, Ont./St. Andrew's College) "aced" the serving game, watching the ball hit the floor off three of his serves. 

Women's and men's volleyball remain at home this coming weekend. The women will take on the Lakehead Thuderwolves with the men meeting the RMC Paladins. Friday night is Youth Volleyball night, and will feature a smudging ceremony between games. The women's game begins at 6:00.