MEN'S VOLLEYBALL ROUNDUP: Waterloo hands McMaster first loss of the season

Friday, January 24

McMaster 2 @ Waterloo 3

It was a night to remember at the PAC on Friday as the Waterloo Warriors handed the No. 1 McMaster Marauders their first loss of the season in 5-sets (30-32, 29-27, 13-25, 25-22, 15-10).  The Warriors had the 525 fans in attendance on the edge of their seat in this see-saw contest which saw Waterloo change the momentum midway through the fourth en route to the upset victory.
 
Waterloo moves to sole possession of second place in the OUA with a 12-3 record while McMaster remains in first at 14-1.
 
The opening set was an early indication that both teams were in for a dog fight as the combatants went toe-for-toe with blistering kills and acrobatic digs throughout.  McMaster held the edge  the entire set and found the winning point on a kill by middle blocker Alexander Elliott to take it 32-30.
 
The Warriors responded in yet another tightly contested set which saw both teams make several service errors down the stretch.  A hitting error by Danny Demyanenko of the Marauders would hand Waterloo the set 29-27 to even the match at one set a piece.
 
The Marauders came out flying in the third set flexing their number one ranked muscles and taking advantage of sloppy play by the Warriors as they cruised to the 25-13 set victory.
 
The fourth would prove to be the set of the match which saw the never-say-die Warriors come to life.  With McMaster taking an early 10-5 lead in the set, Waterloo head coach Chris Lawson would shake things up putting a pair of rookies on in Jordan McConkey (Stratford) and Gibson Graham (Markham).  McConkey would make several key blocks while Graham did an impeccable job giving Waterloo different looks to get the Warriors back into the set.
 
Down only 20-16, fifth year left side Aleks Poldma (Toronto/Warriors) would step to the service line and tally eight straight points to give Waterloo a comfortable 24-20 lead.  The black and gold would hang to win the set 25-22, sending this thrilling match to a fifth.
 
Lawson would go back to his starters in the fifth and deciding set and the Waterloo veterans would not disappoint taking an early 4-point lead and maintaining it throughout to top McMaster 15-10 to earn the upset victory.
 
Leading the way for the Warriors was James Evans (Rockwood/Warriors) who had an astounding 21 kills while only posting six errors.  The fifth year left side also collected seven digs in the match.  From the right side Zacahry Doherty was as impressive with 18 kills and only five errors.  Rounding out the attack from the outside was Poldma who had 10.
 
Scott Thomson (St. Marys) had an impressive 46 assists in the game but struggled from the service line with seven errors.  As a team the Warriors had 23 service aces but were able to shake that off and earn the victory.  Defensively Erich Woolley (New Dundee) was stellar with 23 digs.
 
For McMaster Jori Mantha was the go to from the left side with 20 kills while Shayne Herbert and Stephen Marr each had 11.  Setter Austin Campion-Smith was busy posting 54 assists in a losing effort.

Source: Waterloo Sports Info


 
Saturday, January 25

Windsor 3 @ Toronto 1

The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's volleyball team dropped a 3-1 (17-25, 23-25, 25-19, 20-25) decision to the Windsor Lancers on Saturday, January 25 at the Athletic Centre Sports Gym.
 
With the loss, the Blues drop to 4-11 and remain in ninth place, while the Lancers improve to 6-9 and sit seventh in the OUA standings.
 
Fourth-year veteran Jake Dysselhof (Mississauga, Ont.) notched a team-high 12 kills and 11 digs on the day. Fifth-year middle Jay Tremonti (Dryden, Ont.) added nine kills, five blocks and two aces, while rookie William Colucci had eight kills, dix digs and one ace.
 
Michael Denton recorded 18 assists and 10 digs, while Aleksa Miladinovic had 24 assists and seven digs in the loss.
 
The two teams exchanged points in the early goings of the first set with the Lancers holding a narrow 16-12 lead at the technical time out.  The Blues attempted to rally, but Windsor ended the first on a 9-5 streak and took the set with a serving ace, 25-17.
 
The Lancers got out to an early 6-2 lead, but back-to-back kills from Jake Dysselhof evened the score at 8-8. The two teams traded points from there and Windsor took a narrow 16-15 lead at the break. The set remained close, with neither team building more than a two-point lead, and despite some solid effort from the Blues, Windsor took it 25-23.
 
The third proved to be an epic back-and-forth battle, until an Aleksa Miladinovic ace gave Toronto a 10-8 lead. Miladinovic came up with a big block and Toronto held a 16-12 lead at the technical time out. Windsor attempted to rally, but the Blues secured the set, 25-19, with a big kill from Matt Vares.
 
Toronto got out to a 5-0 lead thanks to some solid play from Jay Tremonti and took a 10-5 advantage after a big Vares kill. Windsor battled back to bring the game within three as Toronto led 16-13 at the time out. The Lancers continued to rally and took the lead, 19-18, en route a 25-20 fourth-set win.
 
Greg Simone led all players with 14 kills, three aces and two blocks for the Lancers, with Scott Hickman adding 10 kills in the win.

Source: Toronto Sports Info


 
Western 3 @ Ryerson 0

TORONTO - Despite a valiant effort, the Ryerson Rams men’s volleyball team was not able to fend off the Western Mustangs on Saturday afternoon, falling 3-0 (21-25, 17-25, 23-25) to the squad on home court.
 
Western started off strong by jumping out to a 7-2 lead, but Brandon Jordan (London, Ont.) strung together a five point run to tie it up at 7-7. Both teams traded runs back and forth but at the technical timeout it was Western that led 16-12. The Rams rallied back but could not gain control of the match and were forced to call a timeout after going down 22-19. Despite Coach Porosa’s attempt to swing the momentum of the game, the Rams dropped the first set 25-21.

The second set saw much of the same as Western pulled out to an early lead and continued to dominate throughout the contest. Several comeback attempts were made by the Rams including huge back to back blocks by Jeff Ardron, (Lakefield, Ont.) but the Mustangs continued to rack up kills and took the second set 25-17.

After regrouping, the third set saw a change of momentum as the teams went back and forth with runs and were within two points of each other for most of the set. A huge cross court kill by Lucas Coleman (Brooklin, Ont.) put the Rams up 8-6 and saw a Western timeout called shortly after. The Rams could not maintain the lead however, as Western pulled ahead 21-20 on a block by Luke Sim (Toronto) and the Rams called a timeout. With the game on the line, set and match point saw back to back ball handling violations charged to the Mustangs which was thought to be a glimmer of hope for the Rams. However, with the score 24-23, a Rams service error snuffed the comeback attempt and handed the Mustangs the set and the match 3-0.

Robert Wojcik (Whitby, Ont.) led the Rams with 6 kills and teammate Marc Reardon (London, Ont.) had a team high 4 blocks. Western’s Phil James (Ottawa, Ont.) led the way for his squad with 11 kills and chipped in a team-high 4.5 blocks.

With the loss, the Rams fall to 9-6 on the season and remain in fifth place, while Western improves to 11-3 and moves up one spot to a tie for second.

Source: Ryerson Sports Info


 
Waterloo 3 @ Guelph 0

The Guelph Gryphon's men's volleyball team were defeated by the visiting Waterloo Warriors 3-0 on Saturday afternoon. Set scores were 25-23, 25-20, and 25- 13. The loss drops the Gryphon's record to 5-10 on the season, while the Warriors improve to 13-3.
 
 Luke Woud led the Gryphon's in scoring with 10 points (6 kills, 2 aces, 2 blocks). Marc Wilson added another seven points for the Gryphon's (6 kills, 1 ace).
 
James Evans led the Waterloo Warriors in offense with 14 points (13 kills, 1 block).
 
Waterloo jumped to an early 4-1 lead in the opening set. Guelph battled to tie the set up at four, but the Warriors would regain their lead on the very next point. After being tied once again at six, Patrick Strzalkowski (St. Catharine's, Ont.) had a huge spike to give Guelph the 7-6 lead, their first of the game. The score remained close for the duration of the opening set. With things all tied up at 15, Guelph's Luke Woud hit a monstrous spike to give Guelph the lead by one. Unfortunately Waterloo took the next four points, giving them the lead 19-16. Things remained tight between the Gryphon's and the CIS ranked #9 Waterloo Warriors, but the Warriors would eventually take the set 25-23.
 
The second set started much like the first, with Waterloo up 4-1 early. Kyle Richards (London, Ont.) and Luke Woud looked to give the Gryphon's some much needed momentum as the two hooked up on a beautiful volley-spike combo finished off by Woud, much to the delight of the home crowd. However Waterloo seemed to be in control of the game early on. Fans were treated to some entertaining rallies, as the two teams displayed their skill with quick and exciting exchanges, Guelph started to rally back, stringing a few consecutive points together to cut Waterloo's lead to 14-12. Guelph's Eric Wagner (Kitchener, Ont.) made some remarkable digs for the Gryphon's to help trim their deficit. However, Waterloo showcased their talent, extending their lead to 20-16, and eventually taking the set 25-20.
 
The second set seemed to knock the wind out of the Gryphon's sail, as they allowed Waterloo to take another early lead, this time 5-1. A few serving errors hurt the Gryphon's chances of a come back, as Waterloo extended their lead to 11-4. The Warriors had a really strong attack game, making it extremely difficult for Guelph to gain momentum and mount a rally. Waterloo would take a ten point lead, 16-6. The lead got extended to 20-9, and the Warriors would eventually take the set 25-13, winning the match 3-0.

Source: Guelph Sports Info


 
RMC 0 @ York 3

The York University Lions men's volleyball team made quick work of the RMC Paladins on Saturday (Jan. 25), downing the visiting team in straight sets at the Tait McKenzie Centre.
 
With the win, the Lions move to 11-4 on the year and continue to hold down fourth place in the OUA standings. They are now four points ahead of fifth-place Ryerson and just two points back of Western.
 
York set the pace from the initial serve and controlled play for much of the match, winning 25-19, 25-12, 25-19.
 
The Lions rested many of their regular starters in the match and gave the rookies a chance to see some court time. But veterans Nikola Sandic (Etobicoke, Ont.) and Marko Dakic (Mississauga, Ont.) were still the standouts, both earning 10 points in the contest. Sandic recorded eight kills and two service aces and also added 13 digs, while Dakic scored all 10 of his points on kills and also contributed five digs.
 
Setter Paul Jakubiak (Toronto) chipped in with 27 assists and six digs.
 
Dakic opened the action with authority for the Lions, spiking a ball down the middle of the court for the opening point of the contest. The two teams matched blows for the majority of the initial frame, but the Lions began to consistently get the better of the exchanges and accumulated a 16-12 lead by the technical timeout.
 
The Paladins refused to lay down easy, chipping away at the deficit with their own big plays. But eventually York prevailed to open up a 1-0 lead.
 
The Lions returned for the second set in impressive fashion, executing every move with more purpose and posted a quick 13-4 lead to force an early RMC timeout. The rest would do nothing to slow the Lions, however, as they claimed the set with ease to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
Things settled slightly to begin the final frame, with the two squads exchanging single points on their way towards a 6-6 tie in the early going. The tight, conservative play persisted until the Lions were finally able to earn some breathing room, claiming a slight 16-13 advantage at the technical timeout. Looking to close out the game, the Lions finally strung together some points and held on to take the final set and claim the match win.

Source: York Sports Info


 
Queen’s 0 @ Nipissing 3

It was the perfect way to wrap up the home portion of the OUA season for the Nipissing Lakers men’s volleyball team.

The Nipissing Lakers men’s volleyball team sent a message to the OUA Saturday as they put a huge dent in the Queen’s Gaels’ playoff hopes as they defeated the Gaels 3-0.

A day later, the Lakers topped the RMC Paladins 3-1 to sweep a pair of matches on the weekend, the first time they have done that all season.

On Saturday, the Lakers put together a very strong match and came away with a 3-0 win over the visiting Gaels, sweeping them 25-17, 25-23 and 28-26 for their second win in 2014.

The Lakers controlled the first set, but ran into a strong push back by the Gaels in Set 2 and 3.

In the third set, the Lakers, who trailed late, put together a strong run and scored the last handful of points to climb out of a hole and win the set and the match.

Frankie Edgecombe led the Lakers with 14 kills while Cam Branch added nine and Warren Taylor had six.

On Sunday, the Lakers were in a battle against the always tough Paladins, who never seem to go away and show their determination on every point.

The Lakers got off to a quick start, but it wasn’t easy, as they took the first two sets, winning 30-28 in a very exciting opening set, and 25-21 to take control of the match.

RMC refused to pack it in even though they found themselves down 2-0.

They took the third set 25-23 as they hoped to begin a comeback, but the Lakers would have different plans, as they clinched the victory with a 25-18 win in Set 4.

Cam Branch had a monster match for the Lakers, who got contributions from everyone and played a very complete game.

Source: Nipissing Sports Info


 
 
Sunday, January 26

Western 3 @ Toronto 0

The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's volleyball team fell 3-0 (20-25, 16-25, 21-25) to the Western Mustangs, January 26, at the Athletic Center Sports Gym.
 
Middle blocker Jay Tremonti (Dryden, Ont.) notched a team-high nine kills, while veteran Jake Dysselhof (Mississauga, Ont.) knocked down eight kills during Sunday's matinee. Aleska Miladinovic (Belgrade, Serbia) had 22 assists and two serving aces in the loss.
 
The two teams kept it tight in the first set with neither holding the lead by more than one point. Despite trading points midway through the set, the Mustangs went on a 3-0 run to put them ahead and ultimately took the opening set 25-20.
 
A 3-0 run to start the second set gave the visitors an early lead. Western slowly increased their lead to eight points midway through the frame to make it 18-10. The Blues battled back but were unable to close the deficit and Western took the set 25-16.
 
The Blues came out strong in the third set and got in front, however, the Mustangs even the scored on a 4-0 run and continued on to extend the lead and went up 11-8. The Blues remained one point behind, 15-17, at the technical time but Western held onto their lead and took the final set, and the game, 25-21.
 
Western's Garret May led all players with 13 kills and two serving aces, while teammate Phil James put up six blocks in the game.
 
With the loss the Blues drop to 4-12 and sit in ninth place, while the Mustangs improve to 13-3 and sit tied for second in the OUA standings.
 
The Varsity Blues will be back in action on Saturday, February 1 when they take on the Guelph Gryphons at the Athletic Centre Sports Gym. Game time is scheduled for 2 p.m.

Source: Toronto Sports Info


 
Guelph 0 @ McMaster 3

The McMaster men's volleyball team bounced back from its first OUA loss last Friday to defeat the Guelph Gryphons 3-0 Sunday afternoon in Hamilton.
 
It was a surly group of Marauders that took the court against Guelph, coming off the loss at Waterloo, and they took it out on the Gryphons in the opening set. McMaster jumped in front 16-5, forcing Guelph to use both of its timeouts before even reaching the technical break. The Marauders continued to push hard and won the set 25-13 to take the lead in the match.
 
Playing without injured regulars Jayson McCarthy and Alex Elliott, the Marauders stepped up as a team and got strong performances from Shayne Herbert, Tyson Alexander, and Stephen Maar.
 
The second set again saw the Maroon break out early leading 15-11 but the Gryphons showed some grit and came back to take a 19-18 lead, which was the first lead Guelph had in the match. McMaster quickly responded and the teams dueled for the rest of the set, until Marauder Seyar Karimi made a sensational defensive play that set up McMaster to win the set 25-23.
 
Now leading by two sets, the Marauders worked for the sweep and led the third set 7-4 early. But Guelph fought back to take the lead 12-11 before McMaster regained the advantage and led 16-13 at the technical timeout. From there, McMaster stepped on the gas and powered to a 25-16 win and a 3-0 sweep of the match.
 
It was a very solid effort by McMaster with Jori Mantha leading a balanced attack with 11 kills. Herbert was selected as the BIG MAC player of the game for the Marauders with a total of 10.5 points and several outstanding digs. Guelph libero Eric Wagner was the Gryphon player of the game.
 
Through the entire match, Guelph only held the lead on three occasions and never had a lead of more than a single point at any time.
 
McMaster remains in first-place in the OUA with a 15-1 record and will have to wait to see how its CIS ranking will be impacted by Friday's loss at Waterloo.
 
Source: McMaster Sports Info


 
RMC 1 @ Nipissing 3
 



Queen’s 1 @ York 3

The York University Lions men's volleyball team pulled out a 3-1 victory over the Queen's Gaels on home court at the Tait McKenzie Centre on Sunday evening (Jan. 26).
 
The match was a long affair, with all four sets being closely contested. The tone was set early when 64 points were played in the opening set before the Lions finally prevailed 33-31. Queen's had five set points, including three before the Lions finally got one of their own, and the Lions finally converted their fourth to lead 1-0.
 
The Gaels took an early lead in the second set and led by three at 12-9, but the Lions clawed their way back. Queen's led 16-15 at the technical timeout, but the two teams traded points until the Lions opened up a four-point advantage at 23-19 and held on to take the set 25-22.
 
The Lions carried that momentum into the start of the third and led 6-3, but the Gaels came storming back to hold a 16-13 advantage at the technical timeout. The Lions won the next three points to level the match at 16-all, but the Gaels held firm and finally converted their third set point at 27-25 to cut the deficit to 2-1.
 
The Lions put the set loss behind them and immediately came out firing in the fourth. They held a 16-13 lead at the technical timeout but allowed the Gaels to erase the advantage again, and Queen's took the lead at 20-19. However, the Lions pulled ahead again and this time held on, winning it 25-21.
 
Middle blocker Alexander Duncan-Thibault (Scarborough, Ont.) had a tremendous game for the Lions, putting up a team-high 19.5 points on 13 kills, 5.5 blocks and one service ace.
 
Outside hitters Ray Szeto (Sutton, Ont.) and Marko Dakic (Mississauga, Ont.) also reached double digits in scoring. Szeto scored 17.5 on 15 kills, 1.5 blocks and one service ace, while Dakic scored 11.5 on 11 kills and an assisted block.
 
Queen's was led by Phillippe Goyer (Ottawa) and Mike Tomlinson (Stratford, Ont.), who scored 22 and 19 points, respectively. Goyer put up 19 kills, two blocks and one service ace and also added seven digs, while Tomlinson chipped in with 15 kills, three blocks and one service ace.
 
With the win, the Lions moved to 12-4 on the year remain in fourth place in the OUA standings with 24 points. They continue to hold a four-point edge over the Ryerson Rams and are just two points out of second.
 
The Lions will play their next three matches on the road, beginning with a tough battle against the Western Mustangs, one of the three teams they are chasing in the OUA standings. The match will begin at 8pm in London, Ont.

Source: York Sports Info

 
Windsor 0 @ Ryerson 3

TORONTO – A career day from Lucas Coleman (Brooklin, Ont.) helped propel the Ryerson Rams men’s volleyball team to a 3-0 (29-27, 25-15, 25-22) victory over the Windsor Lancers on Sunday afternoon at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
 
Coleman finished with a game-high 18 kills while Robert Wojcik (Whitby, Ont.) added 13 in the victory. Wojcik reached the 500 career point plateau late in the first set with one of his 13 kills. Will Otten (Delaware, Ont.) had a solid outing defensively, picking up a game-high nine digs.

The Rams fell behind early in the first set and were forced to call a timeout trailing 5-1. Ryerson battled back to tie the set at 13-13 but it was Windsor who led 16-14 at the technical timeout.

Ryerson took their first lead of the set at 23-22 after an Adam Anagnostopoulos(Waterloo, Ont.) block and after trading the next several points the teams needed extra points to decide a winner. Tied at 27-27, Marc Reardon (London, Ont.) made a great read to stick with the middle attacker for the block and Alex Dawson(Scarborough, Ont.) followed that up with a service ace to secure the 29-27 first set win for the Rams.

After a tight first exchange of points the Rams pulled away in the second set to lead 16-12 at the technical timeout and cruised from there, taking nine of the next 11 points to win the set convincingly at 25-15 and take a 2-0 match lead.

Tied at 11-11 in the third, Ryerson went on a 5-0 run to lead 16-11 at the technical timeout but the Lancers battled back to tie the set at 21-21 and threatened to steal the set and force a fourth. However,
Ryerson pulled away in the late stages after aStefan Ristic (Belgrade, Serbia) service ace put the home side up 24-21. A Lancers service error ended the game as the Rams took the third set 25-22 and swept the match 3-0.

Greg Simone finished with a team-high nine kills and five digs in the loss for the Lancers.

Ryerson improves to 10-6 on the year and remain in fifth place in the OUA standings while Windsor falls to 6-10 and stay put in sixth place.

The Rams return to the court next Saturday when they host the Waterloo Warriors at the Mattamy Athletic Centre starting at 2:00 p.m.
 
Source: Ryerson Sports Info