Coming off a big win, one where they showed a lot of heart to earn a five set victory over Waterloo, the Nipissing Lakers women's volleyball team is looking to close out the 2015-16 season strong.
The Lakers will host a pair of matches to wrap up the season – Friday versus Guelph and Saturday against McMaster – at the RJS Athletic Centre.
Nipissing is 2-3 in their past five matches, which includes two four-set losses, that could have gone either way with a bounce here or there, especially against Ottawa at the end of January.
Regardless of the results, the team is playing a more complete game than the first semester and if they continue that trend, they'll be able to hang tough with two strong teams this weekend.
Guelph enters with a 9-9 and is preparing for the playoffs while McMaster has an opportunity to claim top spot in the West Division with two wins and a Western loss this weekend.
The combination of the visiting teams having playoff implications involved in the results of their matches, along with the fact the Lakers want to finish on a high note, it should make for an exciting weekend.
In their win over Waterloo, the Lakers received strong offensive games from
Erika Lapierre, who recorded 14 kills and
Tracy Hammerton who added 10.
Nipissing's balance was also evident, with
Cassie Dobson earning eight kills,
Annabelle Harvey had seven and
Taylor Ley had six.
Carley Uden was solid, picking up 38 assists, adding four kills of her own as well.
Christina Caruso was on her game defensively, grinding out 20 digs which allowed the team to run a smooth offence.
Guelph enters Friday's match having won three in a row, snapping a skid where they had lost four in a row.
So far in 2016, the Gryphons are 4-4 and 3-5 on the road during the entire season.
McMaster, on the other hand, heads into the weekend having lost their previous match, but are still an impressive 6-2 in the New Year.
An impressive 9-1 at home, the Marauders also sport a solid 5-2 record away from Hamilton.
Both matches begin at 6 p.m., Friday versus Guelph and Saturday against McMaster, where the Lakers will honour their senior players before closing out the campaign.
