Banner Season: Recent finalists collide for a chance to find Forsyth Cup victory
Burlington, Ont. – A season of tremendous on-court success for Windsor continues onto the banner season stage, as the OUA’s top-seeded Lancers look to capture their first Forsyth Cup title on home turf against the No. 2 Queen’s Gaels.
While Windsor is on the hunt for championship win No. 1, the Gaels are hoping to make it double-digit Forsyth Cups as part of their program’s decorated history. And despite the difference in titles, both teams bring a finals familiarity to the Toldo Lancer Centre court on Friday as the two most recent OUA runners up.
The Lancers fell victim to McMaster in the 2022-23 championship, with Queen’s suffering the same fate a year later, and as both teams look for a reversal of fortunes this time around, they will turn to some star power to lead the way.
Chief among the standouts in Windsor’s 18-win campaign is Markus Law-Heese, who was named OUA player of the year for his 2024-25 efforts. The first team all-star averaged 9.6 assists per set this season, good for second in the conference, while also keeping points alive time and time again with his 8.15 digs per set (8th in OUA).
Fellow fourth-year Darian Koskie, meanwhile, was also a force to be reckoned with, checking in with a third-ranked 1.01 blocks per set on the year, along with a .400 hitting percentage from the middle.
Law-Heese and Koskie, along with fellow all-stars Quintin Greenidge and Gustavo Siqueira, make for a loaded lineup for any opposition to deal with. The group combined to help Windsor remain at or near the top of almost every team statistical category throughout the season, despite having almost no individual offensive conference leaders.
But while their balanced lineup wreaked plenty of havoc on their opposition this season, the Gaels were one of just two teams to earn a win against the blue and gold as part of a season series split.
The two teams haven’t faced off since the third week of the season back in early November, but in that Queen’s victory, the Tricolour were led by Zig Licis (14.5 points) and Reed Venning (11 points), a common formula for the success for the Kingston squad.
Not only did Licis and Venning lead the way in that contest, but ultimately throughout the season en route to all-star nods of their own. The former, a senior from Louisville, Colorado, was a threat at the net and at the service line, finishing second in the conference in both hitting percentage (.297) and in service aces per set (0.40). While the stats are impressive, the engineering major’s leadership beyond the court has been just as important for the championship-hopeful Gaels.
Venning, meanwhile, is another heavy hitter that Queen’s will turn to in the finale. From the service line, the Courtice, Ont. native was the only player to top his teammate in aces per set with 0.41, while also leading the league in total aces (35). He also swung his way to a fifth-ranked finish in kills and the fourth spot in total points, demonstrating that he is a threat wherever he stands on the court.
Led by their all-star contingent, it comes as no surprise that the Gaels led the conference this season in service aces (144) and aces per set (1.66), while also pacing the provincial pack with a .282 hitting percentage and 1255 total points. And that offence will need to fire on all cylinders to outmatch the opposition on the other side of the net, along with the support of the home fans that Windsor’s head coach is excited to witness.
“Being able to host the championship for the first time in our program history will be special, as we will feel the energy from our Lancer fans,” said James Gravelle, the 2024-25 OUA coach of the year. “Our team has been building throughout the season and we look forward to the opportunity to compete for the Forsyth Cup.”
Beyond their regular season success, the Lancers have earned the right to compete for the title on the heels of two strong postseason wins, handing each of the Waterloo Warriors and the York Lions straight set losses.
Queen’s, meanwhile, has had their hands full with a pair of competitive matches, needing four sets to get by Guelph in the quarterfinals before they went the distance with Western in a five-set semifinal thriller.
The Tricolour have gotten a combined 40 kills from Licis in those two matches, 12 more than the next closest competitor in the playoffs, in addition to a league-leading 4.44 kills per set and an ace per set. But it is more than just Licis making his mark in his team’s quest for the Forsyth Cup, as fellow Gaels Dax Tompkins and Alex Brdarevic have earned two of the top three spots in blocks per set during that span, while Tobias Jeffries boasts has a conference-best 29 digs.
On the other side of the net, it is the Windsor trio of Koskie, Siqueira, and Chase Bridges who lead the way in hitting percentage during the playoffs, aided greatly by Law-Heese’s 10.33 assists per set (2nd in OUA).
With recent banner season runs under the belt and plenty of standout student-athletes shining bright en route to this latest Forsyth Cup Championship, both sides will bring confidence into Friday’s finale. And while one side will be sent home as silver medalists for a second time in three years, the other will cap off their conference campaign by hoisting some well-earned OUA hardware.
