Anna Feore looked dominant. The fourth-year left side hitter had the best performances of her Varsity Blues career in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Final Four at Ryerson University’s Mattamy Athletic Centre.
Feore accumulated a career high of 21 points and 19 kills, and she also contributed 15 digs against the McMaster Marauders in the semifinals. Unfortunately, her strong play still wasn’t enough to provide Toronto with the edge they needed on Friday night, as the Blues dropped a close five-set match to McMaster: 25–23, 18–25, 22–25, 25–23, 9–15.
Feore opened the match with three straight kills, while the Marauders committed seven serving errors in the first set. The initial set went back and forth. Sisters Jenna Woock and Rachel Woock of the Blues and Marauders respectively traded kills as McMaster narrowed the gap to 22–20. A kill by Feore earned the Blues a first set
victory of 25–23.
The Blues dropped the second set 18–25 and suffered a close third set loss 22–25. In the fourth set, Feore had four kills and Alina Dormann had to force a fifth set. Dormann contributed in all facets of the game, adding 14 kills and one ace for 17 points. She also committed two blocks and led Toronto with 17 digs.
In the final set, the Marauders jumped out to a quick 7–0 lead. The Blues were unable to come back and Marauders’ Aleks Arsovic hit three of her game-high 21 kills in the fifth set for a 15–9 victory, sending McMaster to the title game against the undefeated Ryerson Rams.
On Saturday, Feore contributed to Toronto’s effort with 15 kills, 11 digs, and four service aces against the Western Mustangs in the bronze medal match. She also tied with Dormann for the team lead with 19.5 points.
The Blues won the first set with a 25–14 advantage, as Dormann registered eight kills and Feore contributed four. Western battled back in a competitive second set. The Blues had a slight 13–10 advantage when the Mustangs called for a timeout.
The first point following the break was a kill from Feore, and following Jenna Woock’s kill for Toronto, Feore earned three consecutive points for Toronto to force a Mustangs time out at 18–12. Western came within three points of the Blues, following Kristina Curcin’s kill. Feore responded with a kill to close out the set at 25–21.
The momentum shifted after the tight second set and saw the Blues lose the third set 16–25. They dropped the fourth by the same differential. For the second night in a row, the Blues were forced to a fifth set.
The Mustangs took a quick 7–1 lead and never looked back. Three consecutive kills by Feore cut the deficit to five at 13–8. Western, however, took the final set 15–8 to win bronze.
