Warriors weekly recap: Nov. 15 – 17
Justin Gec
| November 18, 2024
As November rolls on, so do the Warriors. This past week, we experienced some heartbreakers and some truly dominant performances by the Warriors.
Friday, Nov. 15
Kicking things off, the men’s basketball team took the hardwood at PAC for the second time this 2024 campaign to face off with the 2023 defending OUA champions, the University of Queens Golden Gales. The Warriors held their own in the first half, going point for point in the first quarter, but the Gales were able to pull ahead and knocked off the Warriors 99-60. Mac Steenburgh led the team with 15 points scored.
Flipping attention to the women’s basketball team, they also hosted the University of Queens Golden Gales. The Warriors stumbled out of the gates in this one, only dropping 17 points in the first half, compared to the Gales 29, the Warriors were unable to climb out of this hole and fell to the Gales 50-43. Nehita Oko-Oboh continued her dominant streak as a stat sheet stuffer, squeezing 18 boards, and dropping 12 points while adding eight blocks.
Ironically enough, basketball and volleyball swapped court with the University of Queens. Men’s volleyball hit the road as they were up for a regular season match-up against the Golden Gales. The Warriors started slowly dropping the first two sets quite decisively 13-25 and 14-25 respectively. In the third set, the Warriors put up a strong fight, forcing extra points, but ultimately dropped 28-30. The Warriors fell to the Gales 0-3.
The women’s volleyball team also travelled to Kingston, Ont. to face off with the Golden Gales. The Warriors were coming into this one burning hot, as they had won six in a row. But, similar to the men’s team, the women struggled out of the gate, dropping the first set 16-25. They did not go out without a fight, as they lost a nail-biter 23-25 in set two and then 25-27 in set three. Rachel Meilikhan was all over the stat sheet accounting for 12 kills, 10 digs, two aces and one block. Regardless, the Warriors fell 0-3 to the Golden Gales, marking their first loss of the season.
Bringing the attention to the ice, the men’s hockey team hosted the University of McGill for a regular season match-up. The scoring did not open up until the second period in which MGill was able to score two unanswered. The Warriors finally said enough was enough Owen Wilson, Sam McKinney and Tate Popple all found the back of the net propelling the Warriors to take a 3-2 lead early in the final frame. McGill responded and scored the equalizer forcing overtime. Less than a minute into the extra time, McGill found the back of the net and knocked off the Warriors 3-4, the Warriors fell to 4-8 on the season.
Saturday, Nov. 16
Men’s basketball was back in action on their home court as they were hosting the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks for a regular season match-up. The Warriors came out swinging, outscoring the Ridgebacks 23-11 in the first quarter, the Ridgebacks fought back and made it a competitive match-up, but ultimately the Warriors came out on top 68-64. Isaiah McRae and Christian Craciun led the team with 17 points apiece, with Craciun adding eight boards, two blocks and one steal. Warriors move to 3-4 on the season.
Women’s basketball was also back in action at PAC hosting the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks. The Warriors were truly dominant in this matchup, specifically on the defensive side. The Warriors gave up a measly 16 points in the second half, allowing them to ultimately come out on top 71-39. Nehita Oko-Oboh proved once again that she is one of, if not the most, dominant big in the league dropping 16 points, adding 17 rebounds with 4 blocks and 1 steal. Tamara Popovic had a strong day shooting the ball going 40 per cent beyond the three-point line, adding 14 points and six rebounds. Warriors move to 3-4 on the season.
Men’s volleyball was back in action against the Queens Golden Gales as they wrapped up their back-to-back matchups. Unfortunately, it was much the same as Friday as the Warriors struggled against the Gales and dropped all three sets 24-26, 23-25 and 19-25 respectively. Cohen Peters had a very strong “unsung” performance as he accounted for two digs, two blocks, and 17 assists. Warriors fall to 3-5 on the season and will look to right their mistakes and snap this two-game skid next weekend when they face off with the University of Trent Excalibur at PAC this coming week.
Women’s volleyball also played the final installment of their back-to-back matchups against the University of Queens Golden Gales. To say the least, this game was a nail-biter. The Warriors dropped the first two sets 23-25 and 13-25 respectively. The Warriors responded and defeated the Gales in sets three and four 25-20 and 25-22. With both teams having two set wins apiece, a 5th set of play was needed where the Warriors fell in a close one 12-15. Rachel Meilikhan and Avery Kelly were machining at the net as they both accounted for 17 kills apiece. Madison Seo and Alex Sinik were the team’s best friends combining for 43 assists and 24 digs. The Warriors leave Kingston 0-2 and will look to get back into the win column this coming week as they host The University of Trent Excaliburs.
Women’s hockey was back in action as they travelled to Owen Sound, Ont. to take part in the second Annual Hockey Fest event. The Warriors faced off against cross-town rivals, Laurier Golden Hawks and showed everyone in Owen Sound who the top dogs are for women’s hockey in Waterloo. Kara Mark was a brick wall between the pipes stopping all 41 of the shots she faced posting a shoot out. Keiara Raitt, Gracey Smith, Kassidy McCarthy, Leah Herrfort, Madison Pritchard and Carly Orth were all able to find the back of the net in this matchup. The Warriors came out on top 6-0 and moved to 9-2 on the season.
Sunday, Nov. 17
The Warriors fencing team participated in the 2024 Brock Open this past weekend. Richard Yang placed first in the men’s sabre competition, and Simon Li earned the silver. It’s not a bad performance when two Warriors end up on the podium beside each other. Daniel Manyoki was able to finish sixth in the same event. On the women’s side, Janette Huang finished in sixth, supporting the overall team’s strong performance. The Warriors fencing team will look to carry on with this success and ride this momentum as they travel to the University of Western in the first week of December for the Western Open.
