Cheers filled Bob Davis Gymnasium as the Brock Badgers women's volleyball team punched their ticket back to the provincial final. 

The No. 4 nationally ranked and No. 1 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) seed Badgers were tested but ultimately earned a 3-1 (25-21, 25-21, 21-25, 25-22) win over the No. 4 seed Queen's Gaels on Friday, Feb. 27.

"When you're in your own gym and everyone's cheering against your opponent, especially from the service line, it really makes a difference," said head coach Steve Delaney. "The crowd, with their energy, it's like the seventh person on the court." 

Three Badgers finished in double-digit points, with Madison Tuck leading the way with a game-high 15.5 from 11 kills, three aces and 1.5 blocks. Daryan Chadwick and Emily Foest each recorded 10 kills, with Chadwick doing so on an impressive .444 hitting percentage. 

"Daryan was our Player of the Game and could have been the last two weeks," Delaney said. "We've had everyone step up so it was good to see her to do that in her first opportunity to start a semifinal." 

The Gaels did not seem fazed by the energetic crowd, jumping out to a 4-1 lead to begin the first set. The advantage was brief, however, as the Badgers responded and built a lead of as many as five at different junctures, including at 24-19. 

Chadwick's four kills led the way in the frame for Brock as they held a .286 hitting percentage, while being strong defensively, holding Queen's to a negative percentage of -0.94 on the way to a 25-21 first-set win.

The second set followed a familiar script as the Gaels built a 9-6 edge before the Badgers rallied with a 5-1 run, punctuated by a Tuck kill that sent the visitors into timeout. 

Brock took control late after a back-to-back block assists from Baruchelli made it 21-17, pulling away for a second straight 25-21 victory. Though even in kills, the Gaels' two additional errors made the difference. 

Reversing what happened in the first two, the Badgers stormed out to a 12-6 lead off multiple Gaels' service and hitting errors. 

From there the visitors gained momentum, going on a 19-9 run as late kills from Claire Carter helped give them a 25-21 win, in what was the first frame that Queen's (.250) outhit Brock (.217). 

"We were up by six or seven points, and we got sloppy," Delaney said. "We started missing serves and not moving on defence. When you lose focus, that can kill you in a momentum game." 

Looking to continue their push from the third set, the Gaels saw their lead grow to 16-11 at the midway point of the fourth set.

With the Badgers down 21-19, Tuck took over, notching a kill then delivering two aces to pressure on the Gaels. After a kill from Charlotte Ross made it 23-22, Brock took advantage of back-to-back two hitting errors by Queen's to take the victory. 

"They had the momentum going into the fourth set, and we were lucky enough that they had to feel the same pressure we felt because we came back on them." Delaney said. "Ultimately, that was the difference." 

The defence was stellar in this matchup for the Badgers as they won the digs battle 47-38, while holding their opponents to a mere .115 hitting percentage. 

With the win, the Badgers will host the Quigley Cup for the fifth consecutive season and advance to their sixth straight provincial final. They will match up against the McMaster Marauders in a rematch of last year's championship match. 

"This is our sixth year in a row being in the final, so getting back is a huge accomplishment," Delaney said. "We know McMaster is great and they're going to bring their A game, but we'll be ready." 

Tickets go on sale for students on Sunday, March 1 at 8 a.m. and to the general public on Wednesday, March 4 at 8 a.m. and can be purchased at University Tickets.