Six teams looking to punch ticket to Hamilton as OUA quarter-finals begin

Six men's volleyball teams begin their quest for the cup when the OUA playoff quarter-finals get started on Saturday, Feb. 14., while the top-seeded McMaster Marauders (19-1) receive a bye through the first round of the playoffs. Each quarter-final playoff matchup is one-game single elimination format and will be hosted by the highest-seeded team.

(1) McMaster Marauders vs. (Bye week)

The No. 1-ranked team in the country receives a bye through the first round of the playoffs and will play host to the OUA Final Four Championship on Feb. 20-21.

After opening the season with a 3-2 loss at home against the Western Mustangs, the Marauders dominated the competition in their conference by running off 19 wins in a row, losing only two sets in the process, winning 3-1 against York and Waterloo and shutting out all other opponents.

Danny Demyanenko, the Marauders middle hitter, led OUA with a .567 hitting percentage, while his teammate, setter Austin Campion-Smith, was tops in the conference with 10.1 assists per set. As a team, the Marauders led OUA with 13.18 kills per set and 11.98 assists per set.

It will be tough for any team to win against McMaster, especially on the Marauders home court and with the team well rested.  But as Western showed earlier this season, it is possible.

(2) Ryerson Rams vs. (7) Windsor Lancers

The Ryerson Rams (15-5) put together a very strong second half of their season, winning nine of their final 11 games to earn the second seed in the conference.

While the Rams don't dominate any one statistical category, they do a number of things well as evidenced by the team's top-three ranking in service aces per set, hitting percentage, kills per set, and blocks per set. Outside hitter Robert Wojcik tied for first in the conference with 0.44 service aces per set, while another Rams outside hitter, Lucas Coleman, is third in OUA averaging 3.71 kills per set.

The Lancers (9-11) bounced back from a five-game mid-season losing streak to win five of their last seven games and grab the final playoff spot in the quarter-finals.

Despite having lost both their regular season games against the Rams, the Lancers have reason to believe they can pull of an upset after taking Ryerson to five-sets in their first meeting of the regular season on Nov. 29 – a game that was played at Ryerson.

The Lancers rank in the top half of the conference with 1.41 service aces per set, led by left side hitter Jake MacNeil, who was fourth in the conference with 0.39 service aces per set. Setter Andrew Chelladurai finished fourth in the league averaging 9.56 assists per set.

(3) Waterloo Warriors vs. (6) Western Mustangs

The Waterloo Warriors (13-7) are a team that can win games in bunches, as they showed in a mid-season stretch where they won 10 of 11 games, including four against teams in the OUA playoffs – among them, the Western Mustangs (11-9).

Two consecutive losses against McMaster and Ryerson in their final games of the season knocked the Warriors out of the second spot and earned them a date with Western, a team they split their two-game season series with.

The Warriors do a little bit of everything, ranking in the top four in OUA in kills per set, service aces per set, and assists per set, and also boast a roster capable of playing strong defence. Middle hitters Jordan Dyck and Jordan McConkey finished first and second in the conference, respectively, in blocks per set, and McConkey was also second in the league in hitting percentage. Their teammate, libero Erich Woolley, finished second in OUA in digs per set.

After opening with the win against McMaster, the Mustangs won four games in a row – including a win against Waterloo – before dropping their next five games after that. Western got back on track with more consistent play in the second half and eventually secured a playoff spot.

Perhaps a bit surprisingly, the Mustangs rank in the bottom half of the league in most major statistical categories, but as they showed against the Marauders, overlooking them can be perilous.

(4) York Lions vs. (5) Queen's Gaels

No team outside of Hamilton enters the OUA playoffs as hot as the York Lions (13-7), who are riding a five-game winning streak into their game against the Queen's Gaels (12-8).

If not for losing three of their final four games, Queen's could very well be hosting a quarter-finals matchup, but the Gaels can find confidence knowing that they swept their two-game regular season series against York, losing just one set over in the two games.

York's play at the net could be troublesome for Queen's, as the Gaels enter the game ranked sixth in blocks per set, while York is second in the league, behind only McMaster, in kills per set with 12.36.

Outside hitter Ray Szeto leads the Lions, and ranks fourth in OUA, with 3.66 kills per set, but is followed closely by Queen's outside hitter Mike Tomlinson who ranks fifth with 3.31 and also tied for the league lead with 0.44 service aces per set.

The high-powered York offence will likely keep Gaels left back Ivo Dramov busy, but that shouldn't be a problem for him after leading the conference in digs.

The Lions setter Nikola Sandic should also factor heavily into the game; he finished second in the conference in assists per set and is a key part of the Lions game offensively and defensively.

The three quarter-final winners advance to the OUA Final Four tournament beginning next Friday, Feb. 20 at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont.

A full OUA playoff schedule is available here.

Every men's quarter-final matchup will be broadcast live on OUA.tv, so be sure to tune in for some exciting playoff action as the teams begin their quest for the cup!