Ramsey solid, Wesmen stronger in sweep

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This article was published 02/12/2022 (754 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Laura Ramsey’s making a massive jump one step at a time.

The Brandon University Bobcats rookie outside hitter played AA volleyball for the Elton Sabres a year ago and is now facing the top women in Canada West.

It comes with growing pains, sure, the Winnipeg Wesmen cranked the Bobcats 3-0 (25-9, 25-29, 25-15) at the Healthy Living Centre on Friday, but the young BU team hopes the big minutes for a young roster pay dividends down the road.

“The nerves are definitely there but it was just super exciting and the girls are so supportive,” Ramsey said. “My skills and everything, they build so much when you’re on the court … it was a learning opportunity so I’m really grateful for that.”

Ramsey was one of the few bright spots for Brandon (0-11) as one of two liberos for the last two sets. She’d spell off Brianne Stott for points the Wesmen (7-4) served to shore up the Bobcats’ passing game.

The six-foot rookie had five digs and zero receiving errors, even though it feels nothing like practice, she admitted.

“It feels like an out-of-body experience when you get out there and see the crowd and everything,” Ramsey said, adding the simple, singular-focused role helps.

“I definitely appreciate it. It makes it a little bit easier just to focus on either the serves or the digs.”

Ramsey and Stott get a few brief moments to pump each other up and talk strategy while their middle blockers serve, but Brandon hardly had any runs in a lopsided affair.

The Wesmen went on a six-point run to lead 11-4 as the Bobcats struggled to put the first ball away or even pressure the Winnipeg defence.

Winnipeg only got better from there, rattling off long runs to hold Brandon under 10 points, which shouldn’t happen at this level.

The Wesmen had 12 kills and two errors while the Bobcats posted six and eight in a forgettable set.

Ramsey tossed on a libero jersey for the second set and played BU’s serve-receive points in the second set.

Setter Carly Thomson fed Avery Burgar early and often with more options due to improved passing. Burgar picked up four quick kills as Brandon led 7-6.

But after a four-block first set, the Wesmen only scored with one block but extended a bunch of rallies on a five-point run to lead 16-12.

Ramsey let a few serves get away from her as Winnipeg ran it up to 21-15 and coasted to a 2-0 lead in the match.

With 23 kills and six errors, the Wesmen knew the Bobcats lacked answers for their offence and swung away, opening up a 16-8 advantage.

They gave up a three-point run and coach Phil Hudson used his first timeout of the night, then scored three straight to restore the massive lead they held the rest of the way.

Winnipeg put up 16 kills and three errors in the third to finish with a .306 hitting percentage on the match. Brandon got out of the negatives with a seven-kill, four-error frame and hit .022.

Burgar had a team-high 11 kills and nine errors while Selva Planincic topped the Wesmen with 11 and three.

The Bobcats and Wesmen close the first semester in Winnipeg today at 5 p.m. The Bobcats avoided a winless term with back-to-back wins over UBC Okanagan in the fall of 2019-20 and have just one more crack in what’s quickly become a long, tough season.

“It’s a grind,” Ramsey said. “You got to push through it, you’ve got to keep a positive mindset, not be too hard on yourself. It’s all learning.”

» tfriesen@brandonsun.com

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