OUA Men's Volleyball Roundup (Jan. 15)
January 12th, 2018
Brock 0 McMaster 3
Bringing much of their roster to bear over the course of the night, the McMaster Marauders pieced together their seventh win of the season, and fifth sweep, in brushing aside the Brock Badgers Friday.
Set scores were 25-16, 25-23 and 25-16 in favour of the Marauders, who handed Brock their seventh loss of the season.
Brandon Koppers provided the bulk of the scoring punch for the hosts, pounding down 14 kills and adding an ace and three and a half blocks for 17.5 points.
Showing well in his turn in the lineup, Calvin Lee had 24 assists and six digs, making his touch count on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.
While they rarely hit top gear themselves, dedicated as they were to mixing and matching the lineup, the Marauders held the Badgers to just 11 per cent hitting in the win.
Source: marauders.ca
Western 3 Ryerson 0
TORONTO – The Mustangs posted a commanding victory over the Ryerson Rams on Friday night, toppling one of the best teams the OUA has to offer in straight sets (25-23, 25-13, 25-13) at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
Western and Ryerson now sport matching 6-2 records, and both remain near the top of their respective divisions. The Mustangs are second in the West behind the McMaster Marauders, while the Rams remain tied for first place in the East division.
Bryn Ramsay led the Mustangs offensively, adding 17 kills to the purple and white total and contributing to three successful blocks. Evan Hammond followed with 10 points, while rookie Brady Fidler recorded eight points.
Jordan Baric and Marko Milenkovic topped the Rams' half of the scoresheet with 9.5 points each, while Alden Hasangic followed with 5.5.
The Mustangs started off the first set slowly, but soon turned it up to 11 to separate their score from the Rams. Ramsay was essential in establishing the lead, with six of his kills coming in the first set.
Western's lead reached its most substantial margin at 21-14, but a sudden change of momentum saw them tie the set at 23-23 as Milenkovic began to exploit weaknesses in the purple and white defensive system, while the team as a whole improved their attack efficiency and kept the ball inside the court.
A pair of kills from Ramsay finished off the set, giving the Mustangs a 25-23 win.
Western didn't give Ryerson an opportunity to make a comeback in either of the following sets, as the Mustangs quickly pushed out a 25-13 victory in the second and third.
The later sets saw the Mustangs dominate the pace of the game, not allowing the Rams to string together any more than two consecutive points.
With a comfortable cushion between Western and Ryerson, the Mustangs began to switch up their lineup to include the younger athletes on the roster. Gianfranco Sartor and Fidler both make an impression on the Rams, racking up four and five kills respectively. Fidler also proved himself to be one of the most accurate attackers on the Mustangs roster, registering a .667 hitting percentage.
Only Hammond bested the rookie, recording a .857 hitting percentage.
By the end of the match four different Mustangs had taken more than ten swings at the ball – a direct result of the stellar performance of setter Matt Hooker. He runs a fast-paced offence that fully utilizes every athlete on the floor, spreading opportunities and preventing Ryerson's blockers from being able to predict his next move.
Source: westernmustangs.ca
Windsor 3 Toronto 1
The Lancer men's volleyball team opened up the second half of the season with a tough 3-1 (25-21, 25-27, 25-21, 25-20) win over the host Toronto Varsity Blues Friday night in Toronto.
Windsor moves to an impressive 6-2 record, while the Blues fall to 3-4 in their season.
Second year left side Pierce Johnson led all players with 20 points. Johnson notched 18 kills and two assisted blocks to help the Lancers prevail in the teeter-totter event.
Third year John Moate had 17 points on 12 kills and three solo blocks, and Roland Bouchard put up eleven.
Source: golancers.ca
January 13th, 2018
Queen’s 2 York 3
The York University Lions men's volleyball team moved into sole possession of first place on Saturday afternoon after a thrilling five-set victory over the Queen's Gaels at the Tait McKenzie Centre.
The Lions have won four straight matches and improved their record to 7-1 with the victory, putting them two points ahead of the Ryerson Rams and with a game in hand. The Gaels fell to 4-4 with the loss and are part of a three-way tie for third place.
The first set was tight, with neither team holding a lead of more than two points throughout. One of the two teams pulled even with the other on 14 different occasions in the set, and it was Queen's that won back-to-back points from 24-24 to win the first set 26-24. The second set was much different as the Lions dominated the second half thanks in part to a six-point run and they took it 25-14 to level the match at 1-1.
The Lions were unable to build on the momentum generated with the big second-set win and instead it was the Gaels who took control of the third and ultimately won it 25-21. Queen's raced out to a 15-7 lead in the fourth and appeared destined for the match win, but the Lions then won 14 of the next 16 points to turn the deficit into a 21-17 lead. They did not allow the Gaels to get closer than two points after that, and the Lions extended the match with a 25-23 win.
The two teams traded points back and forth to start the fifth until 6-5 Queen's, as the Lions went on an eight-point run to build a commanding 13-6 lead. Three points later the match was over after the Lions won the fifth 15-7.
Andrew Shotbolt had a monster game for the Lions, recording a match-high 22 points on 20 kills, one service ace and two assisted blocks. Andrew Tauhid chipped in 19.5 points, setter Logan Mend tallied 46 assists to go along with 7.5 points and 11 digs, and Jade Cameron led all Lions with 14 digs.
Queen's was led by Jack Peckham's 17 points, including six blocks, and 13.5 points from OUA scoring leader Markus Trence.
Source: yorkulions.ca
RMC 0 Nipissing 3
Short and sweet would be the perfect way to describe the Nipissing Lakers men's volleyball team's victory Saturday afternoon.
The Lakers swept RMC in three straight to make it two wins in a row, as they improved to 4-4 on the season.
Nipissing took off quickly in the first set establishing a lead they would hold and not reluinquish until they eventually claimed the set, 25-14.
The Lakers were a bundle of energy as they dominated the court and the crowd got louder and louder as the Lakers extended their second set lead.
Another convincing win saw Nipissing take the second set 25-13 and take a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.
After a 5-5 tie early in the third set, Nipissing picked up their game as they led at the technical timeout, 16-10.
With a solid cushion already in place, the Lakers cruised to the victory and the sweet, winning 25-15 in the third set.
Leading the way offensively was Cam Branch with 14 points, Steve Wood had 10 and Liam Ludlow added 7 in the victory.
Source: nulakers.ca
Western 3 Brock 0
ST. CATHARINES, Ont.– The Mustangs ended their weekend on the road with a second full sweep of their opponents, finishing off the Brock Badgers in a mere three sets (25-16, 25-11, 25-17).
With the win – their fifth in a row – the purple and white record moves to 7-2, while the loss puts Brock at 0-8. Western remains in second place in the OUA West, now only one win back from matching the McMaster Marauders.
While the win can best be described as a full-team effort, a few athletes still managed to stand out. Bryn Ramsayrecorded a team-high 11.5 points, followed by Evan Cranshaw's 10.
On the Badger side Logan House generated the greatest number of points, as he earned 13 points throughout the three sets.
The Mustangs recorded an overall hitting percentage of .286 throughout the match, while the Badgers hit the .060 mark. The discrepancy in attack efficiency can be credited to scrappy purple and white defensive play, with the Mustangs occasionally scrambling but consistently getting hands on the ball.
The first set went to the Mustangs as they came out strong, and Ramsay dominated the court to set the tone of the evening. The fifth-year veteran led the Mustangs to a first set victory of 25-16.
Western came out looking even stronger in the second set taking an early lead that saw the scoreboard read 15-4 in favour of the Mustangs.
They continued to outplay their opponents both offensively and defensively throughout the remainder of the set, taking the win at 25-10. Cranshaw played a big role in the victory, sending out a number of unreturned serves that flustered Brock's serve receive.
The third set saw the Badgers come out looking like a different team than that that was on the floor in the previous sets, as they offered an improved defensive coverage that forced the Mustangs to work harder than they did earlier in the match.
With the first few points of the set going in Brock's favour, the Mustangs were able to turn the set around to take the lead. The Mustangs dominated the second half of the final set, as they got seven points in a row, and were able to close out the match with the third set win at 25-17.
Source: westernmustangs.ca
Toronto 3 Ryerson 0
Second-year outside hitter Alex Barnes notched a career-high 17.5 points in leading the University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's volleyball team to a 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-16) victory over the Ryerson Rams on Saturday night (Jan. 13) at Mattamy Athletic Centre.
With the win, the Blues improve to 4-4 and move into a three-way tie for third place in the OUA East division, while the Rams drop to 6-3 and remain in second place.
Barnes recorded 16 kills, also a career high, and 1.5 blocks, while adding eight digs on the night. Sophomore setter Jordan Figueira tallied an impressive game-high 37 assists, while also leading all players with 14 digs. He chipped in with 5.5 points off of three kills, two aces and an assisted block.
Sophomore left side hitter Nick Trewern added 12 points, all of kills, and nine digs in the victory.
Ryerson was led by Jordan Baric's 12.5 points, while Marko Milenkovic had 12 points in the loss.
Source: varsityblues.ca
Windsor 0 McMaster 3
Their opponents grew in confidence with every set, but the Marauders were up to the challenge Saturday, as they dispatched the Windsor Lancers in straight sets at Burridge Gym.
The U SPORTS no. 10-ranked McMaster improved to 8-1 on the season with the result, and kept a firm hold of the top spot in the OUA West, while Windsor dropped to 6-3.
Outside hitter Andrew Richards set the tone offensively with a blistering .519 hitting including 16 kills on 27 attempts, along with two aces and a solo block for a game high of 19 points.
Teammates Brandon Koppers (11) and (10) also reached double digits in kills, while setter David Doty was effective in racking up 33 assists.
Mac hit 32 per cent as a group, while limiting the Lancers to just 15 per cent on the opposite side of the net.
Source: marauders.ca
January 14th, 2018
Queen’s 1 Nipissing 3
It wasn't a playoff match, but by the atmosphere in the RJS Athletic Centre, it sure could have been.
Coming off a key win, the Nipissing Lakers men's volleyball team looked to make it a perfect weekend and win their third in a row, as they hosted the Queens Gaels.
It was no easy task, but the Lakers came away with a 3-1 win, moving them into sole possession of third place and heading in the right direction to begin the second semester.
Nipissing was first on scoreboard, their power and speed allowing them to gain the technical time out at 16-12, a lead they wouldn't relinquish in the first set, as they cruised to a 25-20 win.
In the second set, the Gaels responded.
Queens led 16-7 at the technical timeout and refused to look back, making quick work of the second set, winning 25-18 to even up the match.
With the score tied 17-17 in the third, both teams looked to gain an advantage to take a stranglehold on the match.
Nipissing was able to pick up some key points down the stretch, winning 25-20 to go up 2-1 and in a position to add another win.
The two teams went back and forth through the fourth set, with the teams even at 21-21 and 24-24.
Nipissing stepped up and closed out the match, 26-24, to pick up a key win.
Cam Branch had a monster game, picking up 20 points, Steve Wood added 14.5 and Jeremie Murray chipped in with 9.5 in the victory.
Source: nulakers.ca
RMC 0 York 3
The York University Lions men's volleyball team won in straight sets over the visiting RMC Paladins on Sunday afternoon, making this their second home court win of the weekend.
The victory extended their winning streak to five matches and improved their season record to 8-1.
The score in the first set remained close at first, but the Lions soon began to pull ahead. They led 16-8 at the technical time out, and though the Paladins closed the gap slightly, the Lions won the set 25-20.
The Lions quickly picked up a huge lead in the second and were able to maintain it all the way until the end, finishing ahead of the Paladins 25-16. The Paladins played harder in the third and final set, but it ultimately was not enough and the Lions once again reached 25 points first and won the match.
Earning the most points for the Lions was Andrew Shotbolt with 18.5, consisting of 18 kills and one assisted block. Jade Cameron led the team in digs, coming in with six.
On the Paladins' side, Richard Bucar earned 9.5 points (eight kills, one service ace, one assisted block), followed closely by Dale Towe with eight (six kills, two solo blocks).
Source: yorkulions