Lady Lancers soar, men stumble in exhibition action

BELLEVILLE (26/09/2012) Lancer veteran and new captain Kirsten Talsma (5) gets some help from Kristen Curtis (10) to block a spike from Fleming. The Lancers won the first two sets before losing the third, then coming back to win the fourth set and the game. Photo by Taylor Renkema.

By Taylor Renkema

A look of undeniable pride on her face, the new Loyalist College women’s volleyball captain Kirsten Talsma beams while talking about the team’s win against Fleming.

“I’m so psyched for this year,” Talsma said.

The Lancers took the exhibition game in four sets, winning the first two with scores of 25-9 and 25-21 at Loyalist on Sept. 26. Fleming answered back in the third set with a 25-18 win, but Loyalist’s energy was unbeatable in the fourth, which they won 28-26.

In men’s action, Fleming took the game 3-2.

Talsma, who is in her third year with the team, said sometimes things got confusing, and other times things worked out perfectly.

“We threw a lot of people into a lot of different positions,” she said. “It was just a big learning experience- we wanted to see who works well where.”

Talsma is one of six veterans on the team this season, along with LeeAnne Jeffs, Jenny Richardson, Kristen Curtis, Katie Glass, and Linette Melick.

Meghan Hering, a rookie on this year’s team, got a surprise when her older sister from new Brunswick showed up to watch the game. Hering said the tight-knit team makes it easier to play as a rookie.

“We’re all so close, on and off the court,” Hering said. “It just helps us do better, play better and be better.”

Fleming’s coach Don Hart said that his team only has three returning players, and the rest are straight out of high school.

“They have very little club experience, so yes, we’ve got some work to do,” he said.

Hart said he wants to see his team improve on their serving, and their defense.

The men’s team was up next, facing a Fleming team that had just gone through a thorough revamp, said Loyalist head coach Dave Templar.

“They’ve done a lot of work in the summer, clearly, and kudos to them,” he said. “We’ve got some spots to build on, but it was pretty close, right from the start.”

Fleming took an early lead, winning the first set by four points. The teams alternated set victories through the rest of the game, with the Knights winning three of five sets. Fleming’s Brandon Perry was given a yellow card in the fourth set when, according to the referee, he “inappropriately challenged a referee’s decision” after a point was given to Loyalist. Fleming took the fifth and final set 15-9, sealing the win for the Knights.

Templar said because it was an exhibition match, he had different expectations.

“I have high expectations for the effort that they put in and for their attitudes and for their commitment level, but aside from that I don’t put high expectations on them on the court, because I just don’t think it’s worth it really,” he said, adding that the point of an exhibition game is to see what the team needs to work on.

Fleming coach Achebe Victorine doesn’t buy into the exhibition game mentality.

“We don’t take anything as an exhibition game,” he said. “Everything is regular season intensity for us.”

Josh Lappala is the new captain for the Lancer’s men’s team. He said there are only three returning players this year, so he has to step up.

“Taking responsibility for the players, and actually doing more than just my role on the court,” he said.

He said that losing last year’s captain and setter Matt Woods has had a particularly big impact on the team.

“Big shoes to fill,” Lappala said. “Woods was always our loud guy, so I guess that’s got to be me now. I’ve got to find a voice.”