OUA Men's Volleyball Roundup (Jan. 29)
January 26, 2018
Waterloo 0 Guelph 3
GUELPH – The Guelph Gryphons men's volleyball team was desperate to stop a slide. They did exactly that, in emphatic fashion, Friday night at the GGAC. The Gryphons snapped a three-match losing streak by dominating the visiting Waterloo Warriors 3-0, winning by scores of 25-15, 25-23 and 25-16.
The two rivals last met in the OUA semi-finals last March in Hamilton, a match Waterloo took in three closely-contested sets. Guelph (5-7) returned the favour, while also vaulting into the final playoff position in the OUA West.
Head coach Cal Wigston called it a "do-or-die" game.
"It was a must-win," said Wigston. "And the guys answered the call."
Fourth-year right side Zachary Newman and fourth-year middle blocker Kendrick Kerr had 9 kills each, while setter Samuel Kloke registered 35 assists. First-year left side Zarko Ubiparip was a revelation, with 8 kills and tremendous overall play. The Gryphons get back to winning ways against Waterloo
"The rookie came through for us," said Wigston. "Zarko was really good tonight. It was exactly what we needed."
The Gryphons showed some killer instinct after taking the first two sets. They quickly went up 7-1 and continued to flash their power all through the set. Fifth-year left side Joshua Green finally ended the match with a monster kill.
Guelph neutralized Waterloo's talented up-front combination of Jordan McConkey and Matthew Mawdsley. The big and physical Warriors never really got going offensively as the Gryphons worked hard to slow them down.
Guelph played with purpose right off the bat, utilizing several small runs to go up 20-12 in the opening set before closing strong. Newman rebounded from an attack error to produce a kill on the next point, which spurred a 4-0 run to finish the set. The Gryphons were sharp in the opener, with 11 kills.
The second set was much tighter, with Waterloo jumping out to a 19-16 lead. But Guelph would take five of the next six points, beginning with a Ubiparip kill. He added another for a 22-21 lead and the Gryphons took the final two points on a Green block and a Waterloo attack error, for a commanding 2-0 advantage.
"We came out flying," said Wigston. "I could see that the guys were focused and dialed in.
"Second sets have been a problem for us and we started slow again. But they battled and passed really well. It was a great win."
Despite the big night, Guelph got bad news on the injury front. Third-year libero Jared Harris severely hurt his ankle in warm up and will likely miss the remainder of the season.
"It's really unfortunate," said Wigston. "That's a huge loss for us but we'll have to receover."
Source: gryphons.ca
Ryerson 2 Brock 3
The Brock University men's volleyball team picked up their biggest victory since their return to the OUA as they knocked off the OUA East first place Ryerson Rams by the score of 3-2 Friday night at the Bob Davis Gymnasium.
The Badgers took the opening two sets by scores of 25-15 and 25-18 before the Rams answered with 25-22 and 25-18 wins in sets three and four. In the fifth set, Brock trailed 10-6, and rallied late to record the 16-14 win and take the match 3-2.
Leading the Brock attack was rookie Logan House who recorded a career high 22 kills and 10 digs for the double-double. Peter Schnabel contributed with 12 kills and a .435 hitting percentage while Tim Spisar chipped in with nine kills and seven digs. Setter Marcelo Correa added 42 assists, seven digs and five aces while libero Felipe Costa added 14 digs in the victory.
The Rams Lucas Coleman finished with 28 kills to lead all players.
For the match, Brock collected 52 kills with 18 errors on 130 attempts for a .262 hitting efficiency. Ryerson finished with 52 kills and 24 errors on 131 attempts for a .214 hitting percentage.
Source: gobadgers.ca
January 27, 2018
Queen’s 3 Toronto 1
TORONTO (January 27, 2018) – The Queen's Gaels (6-5) were victorious in a 3-1 set game against the Toronto Varsity Blues (5-6) on Saturday afternoon, jumping ahead of both Toronto and Nipissing in the OUA standings. The scores of each set were 25-22, 20-25, 25-23 and 25-19.
GAME FLOW
In the first set, the Gaels and the Varsity Blues were evenly matched early on. Quickly, the Tricolour stepped up their offensive attacks and took the lead and managed a score of 16-13 heading into the first set technical timeout. Queen's continued to play strong defence and kept Toronto from making kills and surpassing their lead. The Tricolour won the set with a score of 25-22.
In the second set, the Tricolour fell behind Toronto early on in the frame. The Gaels tried to catch the lead held by the Varsity Blues but were unable to even up the score. Queen's lost the second set with a score of 25-20 for the Varsity Blues.
The third set was very evenly matched most of the play. The Tricolour and Varsity Blues were tied at 10-10 until the Gaels took a kill streak, finding holes in the Toronto defence. The Gaels held a five-point lead over Toronto, but the Varsity Blues fought their way back from a deficit to make it a tight set. The Gaels ultimately won the set with a close score of 25-23.
The fourth and final set of the match was played in favour of the Tricolour. The Gaels found an early lead on the Varsity Blues and played a tight defensive set until the score was 16-11. The Varsity Blues fell short of an even score at 19-18, but the Gaels held their own and kept their lead. The Queen's Gaels won the set and the game with a score of 25-19 finishing off the game on an ace from Zane Grossinger (Richmond Hill, Ont.).
Jack Peckham (Hamilton) led the Gaels in kills and blocks this game, with 12 kills and seven blocks. Markus Trence(Hockley Valley, Ont.) and Lukas Kaufman (Stratford, Ont.) both racked up 13 digs each, playing a fantastic defensive game. Grossinger took two serving aces against the Varsity Blues.
Source: gogaelsgo.com
York 3 Windsor 2
The York University Lions men's volleyball team paid a visit to the St. Dennis Centre to take on the Windsor Lancers Saturday afternoon in their first of two road games this weekend. The Lions faced a tough match, falling to the Lancers in the first two sets before coming back to win three in a row and claim the match 3-2.
From the outset of the first set, the Lions knew they were up against some tough competition. The Lancers defeated the Lions 25-16 to take the lead in the match 1-0.
The Lions worked hard to keep up with the Lancers in the second set. The Lancers were able to reach match point by the two-point margin necessary to claim the set, with a final score of 25-23.
In the third, the Lions came back after trailing the Lancers for most of the set to win 25-22. The Lions took an early lead in the fourth and sped their way to their second win of the match. At one point, the Lions had an eight-point lead over their opponent. The Lancers were able to close this gap towards the end, but the Lions still walked off the court with a 26-24 win as they prepared themselves for a fifth and final set.
The fifth set saw no clear leader, with neither side holding more than a single point lead. A pair of kills from Andrew Tauhid and Robert Thompson helped the Lions pull ahead to a 15-12 win over the Lancers to take the match, their ninth win of the season to improve to 9-3. They remain in first place in the OUA East standings, while the Lancers fell to 7-4 and sit in fourth place in the OUA West.
Andrew Shotbolt was once again the top scorer for the Lions with 17.5 points (16 kills, one service ace, one assisted block). Tauhid also contributed an impressive 15.5 points to the Lions win (12 kills, one service ace, two solo blocks, one assisted block), and led the team in digs with 13.
Scoring for the Lancers was led by John Moate and Pierce Johnson with 17.5 and 17 points, respectively. Matthew Pe Benito had 14 digs for the Lancers.
Source: yorkulions.ca
Nipissing 0 Western 3
LONDON, Ont – The Mustangs extend their winning streak to six straight after winning in three sets against the Nipissing Lakers Saturday afternoon at Alumni Hall (25-18, 25-17, 25-20).
The win moves the Mustangs record to 8-2 on the season, good for second in OUA West, while the loss puts Nipissing at 6-6, sitting in fourth place in OUA East.
According to Matt Hooker, the resent success is a result of "just playing well as a group. Guys are stepping up when we need them to step up and it helps that we have a pretty tight knit group, we're on a high right now so we'd like to keep that going."
Bryn Ramsay topped the scoresheet for the Mustangs, tallying 16.5 points, off 14 kills, one service ace, one block, and one assisted block. Chris Newcombe followed with 12.5 points from nine kills, one service ace, one block and three assisted blocks.
"We're really happy with the consistency of that match, we took care of it and we have to regroup for a tough York team tomorrow," said Head Coach Jim Sage after the match.
On the Lakers side, Cameron Branch led the way recording 14 points throughout the match, from 14 kills while Warren Taylor added eight of his own points from six kills, one block and two assisted blocks.
Western dominated the first set, as Evan Cranshaw would lead the Mustangs earning five kills and dominating the net. Western would finish the first with a team total of .306 hitting percentage, with the Lakers behind them at .200.
The second set was going both ways, as the Lakers had a couple of strong chances and blocks with Branch seeming to dominate the play.
"We made a couple of mistakes there, that were digs we should've gotten, and I think we have to communicate a little bit better on defense and we'll be good for tomorrow," said Newcombe on the second set.
"Sometimes you can let loose a little bit and they can squeak back in with uncharacteristic points that we normally wouldn't let up in a tight game. But we felt in control the whole game," added Hooker.
Fortunately, Western cleaned up their game defensively, getting their stride back with Zeid Hamadeh all over the court, keeping the ball in play.
At the net, Newcombe stole the spotlight through strong blocking and phenomenal offensive play. Assisted blocks and his high flying attack rounded out the final few points for the Mustangs for a 25-17 victory.
Heading into the third up by two sets, the Mustangs were looking to end things on a high note. Although it would be the tightest score in the match, the Mustangs dominated the play. Thanks in part to Newcombe and a few big points, it gave Western the 16-14 lead heading into the technical timeout.
Following the timeout, the Mustangs were able to increase their lead with some big back to back assisted blocks from Ramsay and Hammond followed by Hamadeh's strong serving.
Despite a serving error from the Mustangs, they maintained their lead and clinched the final set 25-20 to win the match.
"[York] has a really balanced attack, they've got a really good setter and a lot of different guys can score on that team, so we're going to have to play a full team game to be successful," noted Hooker.
Source: westernmustangs.ca
January 28, 2018
RMC 0 Toronto 3
Second-year outside hitter Alex Barnes notched a career-high 17 kills and 20 points in leading the University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's volleyball team to a 3-0 (27-25, 27-25, 25-18) win over the RMC Paladins on Sunday afternoon (Jan. 28) at Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport.
The match saw the Blues constantly tested by the Paladins, but Toronto stood tall and prevailed, putting them at 6-6 in their season thus far, while the Paladins drop to 2-10.
Barnes' game-high 20 points came from 17 kills, two aces and one block, while he also added seven digs in the win.
Veteran left side hitter Thomas Meier notched 10 points from nine kills and one block, and added two digs, while second-year setter Jordan Figueira led all players with 38 assists and a team-high 10 digs.
Paladins Dale Towe led his team with 14 points from 13 kills and one block.
The Varsity Blues are back in action Friday, February 2 when they host the Western Mustangs at Goldring Centre. Opening serve is scheduled for 8 p.m.
Source: varsityblues.ca
Nipissing 0 Windsor 3
The Lancer men's volleyball team split their first weekend at home in 2018. The Blue & Gold lost a tough five set game to the east division leading York Lions 3-2 (25-16, 25-23, 22-25, 24-26, 12-15.) before rebounding on Sunday to defeat the Nipissing Lakers 3-0 (25-12, 25-19, 25-23).
The Lancers remain in third place in the OUA west division with an 8-4 record.
Brad Gyemi was on fire Sunday afternoon, registering a game high 22 points on 18 kills and five digs. Roland Bouchard finished the game with 12 points. Nipissing was led by Cameron Branch with 18.5 points.
Source: golancers.ca
York 1 Western 3
LONDON, Ont. – The Western Mustangs earned their seventh straight win this afternoon after a tough four set (27-25, 25-19, 24-26, 25-18) battle with the OUA East leading York Lions.
"They're first in the East right now, and they're a big team with live arms - they hit the ball hard. We know we had to stop them at the net, get some digs and get some touches, and we did that pretty well," said outside Evan Cranshaw about the team's performance.
With the win the Mustangs remain in second place in the OUA West with a 9-2, just one win behind McMaster. Meanwhile, York's loss allows the team to stay in first place in the OUA East, but they now share the top spot with Ryerson while sporting identical 9-4 records.
Fifth-year Bryn Ramsay and Cranshaw led the Mustangs offensively, each with 15 kills. Ramsay was the point leader by the end of the match, contributing a total of 18 points.
Also putting in a stellar performance was captain and starting setter Matt Hooker. The Ivey student has been lauded by his coaches and teammates alike all season long for his technical ability as well as his leadership, and today was no exception.
"He's a leader on our team for sure," noted Cranshaw. "Everyone on the team looks to him for guidance and he runs the offence out there. He's the guy we go to."
York's Andrew Shotbolt was the highest scoring player of the match, with 19.5 points from 18 kills, one ace, an an assisted block.
The opening set was a tight battle the saw both teams take the lead at various points only to fall back behind their competitor. Western, however, would end the game on top with a 27-25 victory.
York spread attack opportunities fairly evenly between Tyler Covach, Andrew Tauhid, and Shotbolt – with the latter two causing frustration for the Mustangs as they earned a combined seven kills.
Andriy Sozanskyy also emerged as a player to watch, earning a point all four times he sent the ball over the net.
Meanwhile, the Mustangs would rely on the usual suspects to keep the purple and white score tight to that of the Lions.
Ramsay took the lead offensively, while Newcombe and Zeid Hamadeh formed a solid block that repeatedly tripped up the Lions.
As a whole, blocking became a more integral part of the purple and white game than it has been in the past. Five points came off blocking alone, which excludes several more blocks that were continued by the Lions.
Sage called a timeout when the score was 24-25 to allow the team to reset, and it seemed to do the trick. The Mustangs hit the floor and knocked out three consecutive points, served by Matt Stasiuk.
The second set was just as tight, with the Mustangs holding only a two-point lead at the technical.
However, that two-point lead soon become six, with Western taking the second set 25-19.
Blocking continued to play a major role in the success of the Mustangs, with Newcombe, Hammond, and Hooker all getting their hands on the ball and sending it back towards the York court.
Evan Cranshaw came into his own in throughout set to become the prominent force on the purple and white offense, but everyone on the roster was doing their part. Only one attack error made it onto the score sheet – with the Mustangs earning a point on almost 50% of their attempts.
In contrast, the Lions struggled to generate points and in part relied on purple and white service errors to bolster their point total.
Facing a two set deficit, the Lions ramped up their level of play for the third set.
For the first time all match, the Mustangs weren't able to continue play after a Lions block. York was blocking better than they had in the previous two sets, and was able to cut off even the most efficient and accurate purple and white hitters.
As a result, the Lions had buried Western on the scoreboard, leading 18-9.
"In the first two sets everything was going our way, everything was clicking," said assistant coach and former Mustang Justin Scapinello. When stuff's not going your way and the other team is fighting really hard to stay in the game you need to find your own energy. […] You've really got to push the other team and can't just rely on them to make an error."
Sage switched up his lineup in response, and the presence of Sean Boyne seemed to be what the Mustangs needed.
"He came in off the bench and did his job," noted Scapinello. "That's exactly what we need for guys coming off the bench. They know that at any point in time they can come off the bench."
Western managed to erase the nine-point deficit and match the Lions at 22-22 largely due to an improved blocking effort from the Mustangs.
However, the comeback wouldn't stick as the Lions pushed through to top the Mustangs 26-24.
The Mustangs went through the majority of the fourth set with a couple of points on the Lions, and finished the set in the same manner.
Cranshaw dominated the court offensively, while Hamadeh, Ramsay, and Nathan Phelps were solid in the back court.
As a whole, set four saw the strongest offensive effort from the purple and white half of the floor. The team was hitting at .571 percent – their best of the afternoon. The effort allowed them to take the final set by a score of 25-18.
Also helping the Mustangs along was strong serving from the roster, with only one error in the whole set.
Stasiuk again joined the floor to act as a serving and defensive specialist as the end of the game drew closer. The libero and setter has been an increasingly important part of the roster, as his versatility as an athlete allows him to step into several different rolls.
"He's our do everything every other day guy," said Scapinello about Stasiuk. "He sets, he digs, he serves, he does it all. When you need him to do something he's there and says 'yes coach, I can do that no problem.' And that's really what we need."
Source: westernmustangs.ca
Queen’s 0 Ryerson 3
Effective leadership steers towards greatness. That steering was exactly what the Ryerson Rams needed to sweep the Queen’s Gaels 3-0 Sunday afternoon at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
The victory comes as a relatively comfortable and relieving one, as the Rams’ previous three matches ended in five sets. After Friday night’s loss to the Brock Badgers - who sit at the bottom of the OUA West standings - head coach Adam Simac knew that it was time to really steer the team to the right direction.
“After Friday, I challenged them. I said 'guys, that’s not good enough, what happened on Friday'," said head coach Adam Simac postgame. "The entire team bonded together and came out, we had our strongest start we’ve had all year tonight… You can say who played well, who didn’t play well - but the thing that won the game tonight was character.”
That strong start was hotly contested by a strong Gaels lineup, but the 25-21 first set showed that the Rams came to play and could take anything Queen’s threw their way. As the Gaels pulled away in the second set, the Rams forced their way back into the fray to take that set 25-22. While the sweep-sealing 25-17 third set put the game away comfortably, the second set showed that the Rams still thrive under those high-pressure situations.
“We have to find ways to create that pressure, create that crisis from point zero,” Simac said. “Until our backs are up against the wall, we’re more of an ordinary team. But put us in a trouble situation, you’re going to see guys really bear down and show what they’re made of.”
Strong showings under pressure are a testament to the Rams’ leadership on the court, highlighting the skills of setter Adam Anagnostopoulos (Waterloo, Ont.) and game-leading outside hitter Lucas Coleman (Brooklin, Ont.). As we see newer faces such as Simon Davis-Power (Conception Bay South, Nfld.) come into the mix, their leadership will impart an impact and culture on the team.
Simac was afforded to pay tribute to a leader who impacted his own life, as the Rams honoured Queen’s Gaels head coach Brenda Willis pre-game. Willis will retire at the completion of this season after 31 years as the Gaels’ head coach, with today marking her last time coaching a game at Ryerson. Having played under coach Willis at Queen’s, the gesture was especially impactful for coach Simac.
“She’s done so much for volleyball, not only in Ontario but in Canada,” he said, post-game. “Personally, I owe her a tremendous debt because she was the one who first opened my eyes to the possibility of a career with the national team, and of a career professionally. Were it not for her seeing me at a high school tournament and saying ‘I’m going to take a chance on you, why don’t you come to Queen’s’, I would not be where I am today. I owe my first career to her. I will be forever grateful for that.”
Source: ryersonrams.ca
Other Scores:
Trent 0 Brock 3