M-VOLLEYBALL ROUNDUP: Lions clinch homecourt in quarterfinals with win against Lancers
The York University Lions men's volleyball crushed the Windsor Lancers in straight sets for the last game of the season on Sunday (Feb. 8) at the Tait McKenzie Centre.
Windsor 0 @ York 3 (Sunday)
The York University Lions men's volleyball crushed the Windsor Lancers in straight sets for the last game of the season on Sunday (Feb. 8) at the Tait McKenzie Centre.
The first set was a point-for-point battle where the Lancers were able to steal the lead. Josh Henderson (Scarborough, Ont.) led the attack in the beginning of the set smacking down four powerful kills with his tremendous hops. The Lancers were able to tie the score at 10-10 with a kill from Gabriel Burlacu, then two errors from the Lions put the Lancers in the lead 12-10. Henderson smacked down another kill, and Marko Dakic (Mississauga, Ont.) and Arthur Swarcz(Toronto) made an outstanding block to put the Lions back in the lead 14-12. The Lions continued to force the ball through the Lancers as Dakic, Henderson, Ray Szeto (Sutton, Ont.) and Swarcz pounded final kills on the Lancers to end the set 25-20.
In the beginning of the second set, the Lancers continuously tied the score, not allowing the Lions to break through. Szeto denied the effort with two kills; Swarcz and Henderson blocked the Lancers attempts; Nikola Sandic (Etobicoke, Ont.) smacked down a service ace; and the Lancers committed a series of errors to put the Lions up 13-7.
The Lions continued to drill through the Lancers at the end of the second as they laid three consecutive kills on the Lancers from Swarcz and Szeto. The Lions took the set 25-14.
The final set was packed with long rallies that ended in errors for both sides. However, powerful kills from Henderson, Szeto and Swarcz blew up the competition and gave the Lions a 25-19 win.
Both of the Lions rookies Henderson and Swarcz played a phenomenal game, coming out on top of the leader boards. Henderson contributed 17.5 points with 13 kills, one ace, six blocks and nine digs; while Swarcz contributed 8.5 points with four kills, eight blocks and one dig. These two outstanding players are definitely players to look out for in the 2015-2016 season.
On the other side of the spectrum, graduating players Szeto and Sandic also came out on the top of the leader boards. Szeto contributed 15.5 points with nine kills, four service aces, three blocks and three digs, while Sandic led with 27 assists.
Szeto has been a key player for the Lions as he is ranked second in the OUA standings for the most points (313.5), second for the most kills (271) and fifth for the most points per set (4.2).
Leaders for the Lancers include Greg Simone with nine kills, Gabriel Burlacu with nine kills and Jake MacNeil with five kills.
The Lions finish the season in fourth in the OUA standings with 26 points and a 13-7 record, while the Lancers finish in eighth with 18 points and a 9-11 record.
With the fourth place finish, the Lions will host fifth place Queen's Gaels in the quarterfinals of the OUA playoffs. The date and time is still to be determined.
Friday, February 6
Queen's 0 @ McMaster 3
All of McMaster's considerable firepower was on display Friday, as the Marauders blew past the Queen's Gaels for their 18th consecutive OUA win. Whether it was a breakout performance from rookie Andrew Richards, or an ultra-efficient hitting demonstration from reigning OUA MVP Jori Mantha, the Marauders were relentless in attack in the penultimate game of their conference season.
Richards had a team-high of 13.5 points on a blistering 12-19 hitting, as the CIS no. 1-ranked Marauders sped past the Gaels 25-17, 25-22 and 25-17. Mantha, meanwhile, made the most of his hitting attempts, putting 10 of 16 to the floor without an error (.625). McMaster improved to an OUA-best 18-1 on the season with the result, further cementing their place atop the conference standings, while Queen's suffered a third consecutive loss to drop to 11-8.
Gaels outside Markus Trence was impressive in a losing effort, putting up a game high of 15 kills on 30 attempts, while adding a solo block for 16 points.
Queen's provided a game opponent, and attacked effectively through two sets. But McMaster put their brutal efficiency on display Friday, posting a team hitting percentage of .471. Richards started the match -- a rarity this season given the depth of the McMaster team -- and rewarded Dave Preston's decision by catching fire from the opening serve. He reeled off several early kills as the Marauders established a lead from the get-go, and built a head of steam that they would never truly lose on Friday.
The Ryerson Rams men's volleyball team overcame a slow start to claim a 3-1 victory (22-25, 25-19, 25-22, 25-15) over the Toronto Varsity Blues on Friday night at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
BOXSCORE
Ryerson's Lucas Coleman (Brooklin, Ont.) had a game-high 18 kills while Uchenna Ofoha (Markham, Ont.) had a career-best nine kills to lead the Rams offensively.
The Rams looked sluggish out of the gate and had difficulty finding a rhythm offensively in the first and Toronto capitalized. The visitors led 16-15 at the technical timeout and went on to claim the set 25-22.
In the second it was the Rams who capitalized on Toronto's miscues to even the match at one set apiece. The Blues committed ten attack errors in the set and Ryerson cruised to a 25-19 victory.
The Rams opened up a five point lead at the third set technical timeout and racked up 13 kills in the set to claim a 25-22 win and take a 2-1 match lead.
Ryerson only got stronger as the match went on, piling on 15 more kills in the fourth set and winning easily at 25-15.
"For me, Brett Whitley was the winner today, the MVP of this game. He hasn't played a lot the second part of the season but he got the opportunity today. It was rough on the edges in the first but once he found a rhythm and established the outside it was pretty good volleyball," said head coach Mirek Porosa after the game.
Whitley finished with a career-high 40 assists on the night.
"I don't know if one night of good performance can define how we do the rest of the season," said Marc Reardon following the game. "I think we need to consistently bring this level of excellence and if we do that the rest of the season will be successful."
After Richards' excellent early work, Austin Campion-Smith and the Marauder offence put their versatility on display, as the likes of Jori Mantha and Stephen Maar added their own effective contributions from the outside. It was more than enough to stifle a solid game from the Gaels side, where Trence was a constant thorn in the Marauders side.
Queen's was simply outpaced in the first set, but managed to claw their way to a standstill in the second, before the Marauders turned on the class in the late stages to seal it, with Maar providing several emphatic kills along the way. That appeared to take the wind out of the Gaels sails, as their level of play dropped considerably in the final set en route to the sweep.
RMC 0 @ Guelph 3
The Guelph Gryphons Men's Volleyball team would only need three sets to increase their record to 9-10 on the season, snapping a six game losing streak with a 3-0 win over the visiting RMC Paladins. With the loss, RMC remains winless on the season at 0-19.
After a quick start to the first set, the Gryphons found themselves trailing the RMC Paladins 13-12 as Guelph seemed to not be in rhythm with each other. Joshua Green (Kitchener, ON) would get a chance to serve and the Gryphons would get back into the groove as they would score three unanswered points to take back the lead. The game would stay close, however, as the Paladins would be first to the 16 point mark at 16-15. The time-out would prove to be a momentum swing as the Gryphons would score another three points in a row. Guelph would go on to win 25-19, as Kaj Wigston (Guelph, ON) would come in to serve out the set.
The second set was all Gryphons. Led by fifth year players Patrick Strzalkowski (St. Catherines, ON) and Marc Wilson (Stratford, ON), who both scored four kills each in a set that was dominated 17-5 in kills in favour of the Gryphons. The Gryphons would win the set easily 25-13 and take a commanding two set lead into the third set.
The third set would have Gryphon Head Coach Cal Wigston go to his bench and call upon Zachary Newman (Kitchener, ON), Conan Mickey (Brandon, AB) and Kendrick Kerr (Georgetown, ON). RMC would get back into the game only down one point at 19-18. The substitutes for the Gryphons would stand tall, able to shut down the surging Paladins to go on to win the set 25-22 and the match three sets to none.
Saturday, February 7
Windsor 3 @ Nipissing 2
The Nipissing Lakers men's volleyball team did everything they could to come away with a win over the skilled Windsor Lancers this afternoon, but in the end, came up just short.
Both teams went back and forth for the entire five sets, but it was the Lancers who ended up coming out on top thanks to a 15-11 win in the fifth set.
The Lancers got off to a quick start, but had to earn every point, as they escaped with a 26-24 win.
The Lakers then took the next two sets, winning 25-23 and 25-20 to take a 2-1 lead and had set themselves up for a victory in the fourth set, however, Windsor had different plans.
The Lancers wouldn't quit and earned a 25-18 win to extend the match, which would set them up for the fifth set heroics.
The intensity was clear all match and even rose in the fifth set, as the Lakers trailed 8-7 at the technical timeout.
From there, the Lancers heated up and claimed the victory.
Cam Branch had a monster game with 21 kills and Andy McWiggan and Lyndon Sonego each had 12 for the Lakers.
Nipissing is back in action tomorrow to face Western, as they close out the regular season, looking to go out in style.
Queen's 3 @ Guelph 1
The Guelph Gryphons Men's Volleyball team lost in four sets to the Queen's Gaels on Saturday night at the W.F. Mitchell Athletics Centre. Set scores were 23-25, 25-20, 21-25, 15-25. With the loss, the Gryphons finish the season with a 9-11 record, and will miss out on the OUA playoffs. The Queen's Gaels finish 12-8 and sit in fifth. The Gryphons could finish in a tie for eighth with Windsor in the conference, however, Windsor would win the tie-breaker due to more points scored in head-to-head matches.
The first set would get off to a slow start for the Gryphons, as they would go down 11-4 early. Middle Luke Woud (Uxbridge, ON) would then hit a huge spike, which would begin a five point run for the Gryphons to put them within three points of the Gaels. After the Gaels would create another five-point lead for themselves, the Gryphons would mount their comeback on the backs of fifth year seniors Patrick Strazlkowski (St.Catherines, ON) and Marc Wilson (Stratford, ON). They would tie the set up at 23-23, forcing a timeout from Gaels Head Coach Brenda Willis. The Gaels would come out of the timeout strong and take the first set 25-23.
The second set would be similar to the first with the Gaels getting out to an early five point lead. This time however, the Gaels would be able to hold their lead for much of the duration. At the technical timeout the Gaels would lead 16-10. It wasn't until after the timeout when the Gryphons would again mount their comeback. Coach Willis would be forced to take another time out as the score got to 19-18 for the Gaels. The Gryphons would continue their strong play in the set and take the lead at 20-19 before riding that momentum to a 25-20 advantage in the second set.
The third set was unlike the first two as both teams would trade point after point and no one getting more than a two point lead for the beginning of the set. Long rallies and big blocks were being made all over the court for the majority of the set. The Gaels would be able to create a cushion in points going up 22-17, but the Gryphons would storm back to make it 22-20. It would not be enough as the Gaels would win the set and take a strangle hold on the match.
The Gryphons would not start the fourth set out like they would want, as the Gaels would push to a 9-1 lead. The Gryphons look deflated in their play as they can't keep any kind of rhythm going. The Gaels would keep adding to their lead as they push it to 16-5. Outside hitters Mike Tomlinson (Stratford, ON) and Markus Trence (Orangeville, ON) would lead the Gaels to the four set victory with a set score of 25-15.
RMC 0 @ McMaster 3
The top-ranked McMaster men's volleyball ran its conference win streak to 19 with a dominating three-set sweep of the RMC Paladins Saturday night in the Burridge Gym.
With alumni in the crowd celebrating Marauder Weekend, McMaster held a pre-game presentation to honour the three seniors on the team. Austin Campion-Smith and Jori Mantha are wrapping up distinguished five-year varsity careers, while Alex Elliot was recognized as a fourth-year senior.
The Marauders barely let the Paladins off the bus, as they raced to a 16-4 lead by the technical timeout of the opening set. Behind some very strong serving and terrific defense, McMaster won the set 25-8 to grab the lead in the match.
In the second set, Mac Coach Dave Preston went to his bench but there was no drop-off in performance by the men in Maroon. RMC was as close as 11-9, before setter Andrew Kocur started serving and the lead went to 18-9 before he was done. McMaster took the set 25-15 to go up by two sets to none.
McMaster had one of its best serving matches of the year, and several Marauders were making life tough on the Paladins from the service line. Leading 7-6 in the third, McMaster ran off six straight points to build the lead and held a 16-9 advantage at the technical break. With RMC reeling, the Marauders closed out the match with a 25-10 win for the sweep.
Jayson McCarthy was the top point getter for McMaster with 12.5, in what was a very balanced attack.
The Marauders had only eight attack errors for the entire match, and put up crazy kill percentages of .700, .500, and .393 in the three sets.
Finishing with a 19-1 record in the OUA, the Marauders will now enjoy a first-round playoff bye and then play host to the OUA Final-Four on February 20 & 21st.
Western 1 @ York 3
The York University Lions men's volleyball team won in four sets against the Western Mustangs on Saturday (Feb. 7) at Tait McKenzie Centre.
With the win, the Lions improve to a record of 12-7 and 24 points. The win, combined with a Queen's loss to McMaster last night moves the Lions into sole position of fourth place in the OUA standings with one game remaining in the regular season. With a win tomorrow, the Lions can clinch fourth place and home court advantage in the quarterfinal playoff match. The Mustangs stand at sixth place with a record of 10-9 and 20 points.
The hosts started out strongly as Arthur Swarcz (Toronto) opened the Lions scoring with a powerful spike that could only be deflected wide.
At 9-9, Josh Henderson (Scarborough, Ont.) powered a hit that overpowered the defenders. The Mustangs continued to struggle in returning the Lions' attempts.
Nikola Sandic (Etobicoke, Ont.) nicely set up Swarcz for a kill at 16-14. Rookie outside-hitterRobert Thompson (Maple, Ont.) later replaced the prolific Swarcz for the remainder of the set.
Ray Szeto (Sutton, Ont.) powered an emphatic spike at 23-16, courtesy of another Sandic assist.
The first set ended at 25-17 as Henderson delivered a service ace to mark the Lions' domination.
The Lions scintillating form continued in the second set. However, a temporary run of mistakes gave the Mustangs a chance to catch up at 7-7. The Lions regained their sharpness and continued to lead at 14-8 by the next timeout.
Logan Mend (Naramata, B.C.) subbed in for Sandic and made an immediate impact on the game, setting up Szeto for a kill and assisting Henderson for the set-winning spike.
At the start of the third set, the Lions opened with two successful blocks. The Mustangs refused to concede early and kept the match tight.
Henderson attempted three consecutive spikes, all of which were blocked as the Lions finally conceded the point at 15-12.
The Mustangs went on to win 25-19, denying the Lions of a straight set victory.
At the fourth set, the Lions responded with rejuvenation as Alexander Duncan-Thibault(Scarborough, Ont.) made a good block to end an early rally. A series of miscommunication cost the Mustangs several points.
Szeto made a service ace at 22-16 as the Mustangs scrambled to defend the hit. The set concluded with a service error by the Mustangs to give the Lions a 25-19 win.
Szeto ended the game with a game-high of 19.5 points and 17 kills. Sandic provided 40 assists and a service ace. Marko Dakic (Mississauga, Ont.) contributed 15 points, 14 kills and an assist.
For the Mustangs, Justin Scapinello and Doug Austrom both contributed 11 points, with 10 and eight kills, respectively. Matt Hooker provided 32 assists.
Sunday, February 8
Waterloo 1 @ Ryerson 3
The Ryerson Rams men's volleyball team wrapped up the regular season with a 3-1 victory (25-19, 19-25, 25-18, 25-19) over the Waterloo Warriors on Sunday afternoon at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
Ryerson's offence was evenly distributed on Sunday, with Lucas Coleman (Brooklin, Ont.) posting a game-high 11 kills and 15.5 points while Rob Wojcik (Whitby, Ont.) had 13 points on seven kills and an impressive six service aces. Marc Reardon (London, Ont.) and Alex Dawson (Scarborough, Ont.) each added nine kills.
"In this final stretch the most important thing was to win the game at home and protect the home court advantage; finish on a winning note and carry over the momentum," said head coach Mirek Porosa following the match.
With the win the Rams locked up second place in the OUA standings and will host a first round playoff game.
Ryerson led for the majority of the first set, leading 16-13 at the technical timeout before an Alex Dawson kill gave the Rams the 25-19 set win. The teams reversed roles in the second, as Waterloo led 16-13 at the technical and finished with an identical scoreline of 25-19 to tie the match at one set apiece.
Rob Wojcik had a strong run at the service line to give the Rams a quick 5-2 advantage in the third which really set the tone for the set. Ryerson led 16-11 at the technical timeout and went on to win the set 25-18.
In the fourth, the Rams trailed 11-8 before going on a 7-0 run to turn that into a four point advantage. Ryerson led 16-12 at the technical timeout and with momentum on their side, closed the game with a 25-19 set win.
Sunday marked Senior Day for the Rams which meant the last regular season game on home court for both Marc Reardon and George Sakvarelidze (Toronto, Ont.). Reardon spoke following the game about the team's progress since he joined the program.
"It feels like every year we've gone up in the playoff rankings. First year, we didn't make the playoffs, then second year we made the first round and then my third year we made the next round. Hopefully that will continue…and it's been really amazing to see how the team has grown over the past four years."
The Rams will now turn their attention to a postseason run. Ryerson will host the seventh seeded Windsor Lancers on Saturday, February 14 at 4:00 p.m. at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
Western 3 @ Nipissing 0
Coming off a five set thriller in an intense battle Saturday afternoon, the Nipissing Lakers men's volleyball team was looking to continue their strong play and end the year on a high note.
They were hosting the defending CIS silver medalists, the Western Mustangs, a team they defeated on the road earlier in the season.
Unfortunately, the Mustangs were able to exact some revenge from that earlier loss and defeat the Lakers in straight sets.
Western came away with a 3-0 win, taking the first set, 25-21, the second set was 25-17 and in the third, Western closed it out the match with a 25-18.
On the offensive side, Cam Branch led the attack with 11 kills, while Lyndon Sonego picked up 10 for Nipissing.
The Lakers wrapped up their season on home court and despite falling short of the playoffs; they once again proved they can hang with the top teams in the OUA and should be in a good position to move forward in the future.
Their final record was 5-15, but it was definitely misleading as they had three matches that they lost in five sets, meaning their record could have easily been 8-12.
The team will be happy with aspects of their game, but will continue to strive to be better day in and day out as they look to the future.
