February 4, 2013
M-VOLLEYBALL ROUNDUP: No. 10 Waterloo holds on to clip Guelph 3-2
February 1 - Toronto @ Windsor
WINDSOR, Ont.- The Windsor Lancers men's volleyball team fell 3-1 (25-21, 19-25, 25-20, 25-19) to the Toronto Varsity Blues on Friday evening at the St. Denis Centre.
With an opportunity to move within a win of both the Varsity Blues and Ryerson Rams, the men are instead looking at an uphill battle for a shot at the postseason coming out of Friday's contest.
All-star Kyle Williamson led the Lancers with 13 kills and 15 total points on the evening, while Greg Simone chipped in with 12 kills and a game-high 10 digs. However, it was not enough to overcome the Varsity Blues, who move to 6-9 on the year and three games ahead of the Lancers. Toronto put forth a balanced attack led by Jake Dysselhof who picked up 11 kills and a team-high 15 points to help sput the Blues to victory.
Windsor sits at 3-12 heading into Saturday evening's match against the Ryerson Rams (5-10), who lost on Friday to the Western Mustangs. The Lancers can move to within two points of the Rams with a victory tomorrow evening, while a loss could be the final blow to their playoff hopes.
Source: Windsor Sports Info
Ryerson @ Western
LONDON, Ont.- The Western Mustangs men’s volleyball stepped onto home court tonight in front of a full house to challenge the seventh place Ryerson Rams after a tough weekend on the road last week. But losing was all in the past, as the Mustangs surged past the Rams in four sets, claiming a 3-1 victory.
Set scores were 25-22, 17-25, 25-15, 25-18.
“Today’s game was a battle,” Mustangs head coach Jim Sage said. “We were kind of up and down a little, but then once we got going I thought we looked quite good. We served well, especially in the fourth set when it was critical. I was proud of my guys and it was a good team effort.”
Leading the Mustangs was Garrett May with a team high 17 points with 15 kills and 5 digs, followed closely by Alan Screaton with 16 points and 16 kills. Setter Sean McKay contributed 43 assists.
It was a tough start to the first set with the Mustangs giving up the first four points, allowing their opponents to gain a lead. Hits from middle Luke Sim kept Western in the match as they fought to climb back. Outside hitter Justin Scapinello forced a hit down Ryerson’s sideline, putting Western just behind the Rams on the scoreboard. The Mustangs were short three at the technical timeout, but that did not last for long as Scapinello delivered another ball over the net to tie the set 19-19, followed by a kill from May to push the ‘Stangs ahead. Western went on to trump Ryerson 25-22.
With Western leading by one set, the second set commenced with both teams exchanging points until Ryerson managed to hold a few points over Western’s head. The Rams continued to hold their slight edge over the Mustangs, forcing Western to call a timeout. Behind by five at the technical timeout, the Mustangs came back onto the court looking to redeem themselves. Despite some hard kills by Screaton, it was not enough to pull ahead of Ryerson and the home team fell 17-25.
Tied with one set each, the Mustangs took control of the court earning an early lead over their opponent in the third set. With Western gaining a substantial lead, Ryerson paused to call a timeout. Maintaining their large lead, the Mustangs sat eight points ahead of the Rams at the technical timeout, and continued to rack in the points after the break. With a 22-11 lead, Western took control of the remainder of the set and easily won it 25-15.
Up two sets, the Mustangs and Rams rallied back and fourth for every point in the fourth set. Ryerson edged Western, but the Mustangs had the strength to even the score. Kills from Phil James kept the white and purple on top, while Screaton caught the Ryerson defense off-guard with his hits. Eventually the Mustangs took the fourth set by a score of 25-18, allowing them to claim a 3-1 victory over the Ryerson Rams.
Leading the Rams was Robert Wojcik with a game high 22 points and 21 kills.
Source: Western Sport Info
Guelph @ Waterloo
The No. 10 Warriors narrowly avoided an upset on Friday night as they snuck past the visiting Guelph Gryphons in five sets (25-23, 18-25, 25-22, 24-26, 15-13) at the PAC. The thrilling seesaw battle was capped off with a tremendous fifth set which saw the Warriors come out on top following a double block at the net by Jordan Dyck (St. Catharines) and Fiodar Kazhamiaka (Waterloo).
Waterloo's third straight win propels their record to 14-2 while although their play did not reflect it tonight, Guelph dropped to 4-12.
The first set opened with back and forth play before the Gryphons took a 23-21 lead late into the set. The Warriors would however flex their muscles and tally the next four points with great blocking by Dyck at the net to take the opening set 25-23.
The second set would be all Gryphons with rookie left side Timothy Warnholtz (Guelph) leading the offensive charge notching several of his 17 total kills as Guelph would cruise to the 25-18 second set win.
Guelph continued their offensive pressure into the third and pivotal set opening up a 9-4 lead but the resilient Warriors would come out of a timeout with five straight points to even the score at 9-all. Scott Thomson (St. Marys) would step up his game midway through the set and strong serving by Tyler Motherwell (Toronto/Warriors) would put the black and gold up 15-13. The never-say-die Gryphons fought their way back into the set to make it 21-all but would make detrimental errors down the stretch to hand Waterloo the set 25-22 and 2-1 lead.
After a fairly even start to the fourth set Guelph would open up a 16-12 lead but again the home side would draw even thanks to strong hitting from the left side by Kazhamiaka. With the Gryphons up 24-21 Waterloo would fight off three straight set points to even the score at 24-all before Guelph would benefit from a Waterloo hitting error to capture the fourth set 26-24.
The fifth and final set would see the Warriors take an 8-4 lead before Guelph would battle all the way back to take a 10-9 lead into a timeout. The Warriors would benefit from a well drawn up play as Zachary Doherty (Goderich) would put away the kill to even the score. The two combatants would go point-for-point before Waterloo's blocking duo of Dyck and Kazhamiaka would send the ball back on the Gryphons side to take the set 15-13 and match 3-2.
Jordan Dyck (St. Catharines) was key in the middle for the Warriors with 11 kills on just 16 attacks while adding an incredible nine blocks. Kazhamiaka was also strong from the left side with 14 kills while Doherty had 11 from the right. Thomson picked up 30 assists in the win while Erich Woolley (New Dundee) made 21 digs, several of which were highlight reel digs.
Waterloo will enjoy the rest of the weekend off before they close out the regular season at home against the Windsor Lancers on Friday and Western Mustangs on Saturday. Both games are set for 8pm at the PAC.
Source: Waterloo Sports Info
February 2 - York @ Queen's
KINGSTON, Ont. (February 2, 2013) - The Queen's Gaels (10-5) had no trouble getting past the York Lions (8-8) on Saturday afternoon as the Gaels cruised to a 3-0 win. Set scores finished 27-25, 25-20 and 25-20.
The first set saw the two teams keeping the score close until Queen's was able to pull ahead 16-12 at the technical timeout. Stephen Holmes (Ancaster, Ont.) gave the Gaels the momentum with one of his seven kills on the afternoon. The Lions managed to claw back into the game and even the score at 25-25. Queen's outside hitters Mike Tomlinson (Stratford, Ont.) and Philippe Goyer (Ottawa, Ont.) provided the power needed to close out the set with back-to-back kills for a 27-25 win.
In the second frame, York got off to a quick start jumping ahead 5-2 thanks to two kills from Felipe Human-Paredes (Toronto) who finished with eight on the day. Queen's came right back at the Lions taking eight of the next 10 points to jump ahead 10-7. The Gaels stayed in front the rest of the way and Tomlinson and Goyer once again closed the set with back-to-back kills, 25-20.
The York Lions stayed close with the Gaels in the third set with help from Gregory Ivan (Toronto)
getting a few kills from the middle. Queen's managed to keep the Lions at bay, never trailing by more than one point in the set. The Gaels stayed the course and closed out the set 25-20 for a 3-0 straight set win.
Source: Queen's Sports Info
Toronto @ Western
LONDON, Ont. – Following their four set victory over the Ryerson Rams on Friday night the Western Mustangs men’s volleyball team returned to home court for the final time in the regular season on Saturday, taking down the Toronto Varsity Blues in straight sets.
As is tradition for the final regular season home game, Saturday night’s match was Senior Night for the team as they honoured their senior players prior to the game. This year the Mustangs celebrated the careers of seven Mustangs: Sean McKay, Jack Creaghan, Luke Sim, Craig Dixon, Andre Begin, Phil James, and Alan Screaton.
The seniors certainly made the most of their final regular season game in front of the purple and white faithful, winning all three sets by at least six points.
Garret May led the Mustangs with 17 points and 16 kills. James was second on the Mustangs score sheet with 10.5 points while Sim added seven kills, good for second on the team. Toronto was led by Jake Dyssellhof, who racked up 11 points and 11 kills while Michael Denton also had a strong game adding 25 assists.
Western now enters the final week of regular season play in third place with a 12-4 record. The Mustangs sit only four points behind the Waterloo Warriors, meaing their matchup next Saturday could have major implications on the OUA playoff picture.
Before their showdown with the Warriors the Mustangs will get their final pair of regular season games underway on Friday night when they travel to Guelph to face the Gryphons. Game time is set for 8:00 p.m.
Source: Western Sports Info
Ryerson @ Windsor
WINDSOR, Ont.- Kyle Williamson recorded a game-high 14 kills, and the Windsor Lancers men's volleyball team snapped their four-game losing streak by notching a straight sets (25-16, 25-22, 25-20) victory over the visiting Ryerson Rams on Saturday evening.
After honouring their graduating seniors in a pregame ceremony, which included Williamson, Ryan Leknois and Scott Hickman, the Lancers came out of the gate energized, jumping on the Lancers for a quick first set victory. After holding off a late surge from the visitors in the second set, the men clinched their fourth win of the season after rallying from behind in the third.
Leknois capped the victory with a thundering kill on match-point, ending the game with six kills and two aces. Greg Simone added seven kills for the Lancers, who sit tied for eighth in the conference heading into their final games next weeked on the road. Windsor will face the Waterloo Warriors next Friday, and are back on the court in Guelph on Saturday night against the Gryphons.
Source: Windsor Sports Info
February 3 - York @ RMC
The York University Lions men's volleyball team cruised to a 3-0 sweep of the RMC Paladins on Sunday afternoon (Feb. 3) at the Kingston Military Community Sports Centre.
The game opened with the Lions jumping out to an early lead, as they established momentum and didn't look back. They took the first set by a comfortable 25-17 score.
The second set saw the Paladins exhibit a little more tenacity as they kept the score close all throughout. Neither team was able to pull away, but it would be the Lions who would come up with the few key points, and they won the second set by a score of 25-22.
The Paladins did all they could to avoid a sweep, keeping the game tight in the third set. However, the Lions had no intentions of letting the game drag on and they executed in the clutch moments down the stretch to complete the sweep by taking the third set 25-23.
The Lions were led by fifth-year outside hitter Karim Khalil (Mississauga, Ont.), who scored a game high 13.5 points on 12 kills, one service ace and one assisted block. Fellow outside hitter Ray Szeto (Sutton, Ont.) contributed 12 points on 11 kills and one block.
The Paladins were paced by middle blocker Thomas McMullen (Ottawa), who scored a team high 11 points on nine kills and two blocks.
The win boosts the Lions record to 9-8 on the season and clinches fifth place in the OUA standings with one game remaining on the schedule.
The Lions next game will be their season finale when they play host to the McMaster Marauders on Sunday (Feb. 10) at the Tait McKenzie Centre. The game is scheduled for 2pm.
Source: York Sports Info
McMaster @ Queen's
KINGSTON, Ont. (February 3, 2013) – The Queen's Gaels men's volleyball team (10-6) was in action Sunday afternoon against the No. 2 McMaster Marauders (17-0) at the ARC Main Gym, in a match that saw the Gaels go up 1-0 only to end up losing three straight sets to close the match out 3-1 (25-23,14-25,19-25,22-25).
Before the game the two graduating members of the team, Jackson Dakin (Courtenay, B.C.) and Wesley Chen, were honoured by head coach Brenda Willis and manager of interuniversity sport program Janean Sergeant. Wesley Chen has been the team's technical assistant for several seasons, and plays an important role in the technical aspects of the team, such as: recording games, keeping statistics and following game trends.
“Although he wasn't blessed with a body for volleyball, there is no questioning Wesley's love and knowledge of volleyball. Wesley can always be found with a laptop, camera and smile on his face and he is an asset to our team. He has great interpersonal skills, and is currently finishing up his honours in Kinesiology with the hopes of pursuing medicine.” Coach Willis said of her talented technical assistant.
Fifth-year setter Jackson Dakin (Courtenay, B.C.) is the Gaels leader, quarterbacking their offense and providing an important defensive presence—demonstrating poise and determination both on and off the court. Dakin currently leads the team in digs and assists, with 101 and 407 respectively.
Coach Willis had the following to say of her star setter. “Your team is only as good as your setter, and Jackson Dakin is one of the greatest setters in this league. He has captained our team for the past five years, with his quirky nature and high spirits making him a pleasure to coach. Jackson has been instrumental in quarterbacking our team to where we are this season, and in our OUA and CIS runs last season. Jackson Dakin has played in over 325 games, recorded 100 blocks and over 2000 assists.”
The Gaels had added motivation heading into the first set, playing as underdogs to the No. 2 McMaster Marauders and having the added energy of the honouring of graduating teammates before the game. Queen's wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, with Mike Tomlinson (Stratford, Ont.) and Philippe Goyer (Ottawa) each recording two kills to help put the Gaels up 10-8 midway through the first. The Marauders and Gaels exchanged points until late in the set, when Goyer was able to close things out with his fourth kill of the set.
Unfortunately for Queen's, McMaster was able to find their offensive productivity in the second set with Dany Demyanenko Jimenez (Toronto) recording six kills. The Gaels set-high 11 attacking errors in the second, also gave the Marauders an opportunity to claim an easy game, 25-14.
McMaster's offense picked up where it left off after the second set, starting off on a 6-2 run led by Jimenez. Queen's was able to close the gap with a strong set from Scott Brunet (Calgary) who recorded three kills. It was not enough however as Gaels errors and continued dominance from Jimenez gave the Marauders a 25-19 set victory.
The Gaels showed desperation in the fourth set, playing with an increased tempo especially nearing the final points of the set. Queen's was able to pull within two points with strong play from Domino's “Dominator of the Game” Stephen Holmes (Ancaster, Ont.) who recorded four kills in the final frame. It was not enough however as the Gaels were defeated 25-22 in the set, closing out a 3-1 match.
The Queen's Gaels men's volleyball team returns to action next weekend when they hit the road to visit the Toronto Varsity Blues and Ryerson Rams. The Gaels currently sit fourth in the OUA, with Ryerson in sixth and Toronto in seventh. Queen's starts the trip Saturday in Toronto, where they visit the Varsity Blues at the University of Toronto Athletic Centre. Game time is set for 1pm. Queen's has 4th in the OUA East locked up as they hold tie-break scenarios with the York Lions, the team will be hosting a home playoff game.
Source: Queen's Sports Info
WINDSOR, Ont.- The Windsor Lancers men's volleyball team fell 3-1 (25-21, 19-25, 25-20, 25-19) to the Toronto Varsity Blues on Friday evening at the St. Denis Centre.
With an opportunity to move within a win of both the Varsity Blues and Ryerson Rams, the men are instead looking at an uphill battle for a shot at the postseason coming out of Friday's contest.
All-star Kyle Williamson led the Lancers with 13 kills and 15 total points on the evening, while Greg Simone chipped in with 12 kills and a game-high 10 digs. However, it was not enough to overcome the Varsity Blues, who move to 6-9 on the year and three games ahead of the Lancers. Toronto put forth a balanced attack led by Jake Dysselhof who picked up 11 kills and a team-high 15 points to help sput the Blues to victory.
Windsor sits at 3-12 heading into Saturday evening's match against the Ryerson Rams (5-10), who lost on Friday to the Western Mustangs. The Lancers can move to within two points of the Rams with a victory tomorrow evening, while a loss could be the final blow to their playoff hopes.
Source: Windsor Sports Info
Ryerson @ Western
LONDON, Ont.- The Western Mustangs men’s volleyball stepped onto home court tonight in front of a full house to challenge the seventh place Ryerson Rams after a tough weekend on the road last week. But losing was all in the past, as the Mustangs surged past the Rams in four sets, claiming a 3-1 victory.
Set scores were 25-22, 17-25, 25-15, 25-18.
“Today’s game was a battle,” Mustangs head coach Jim Sage said. “We were kind of up and down a little, but then once we got going I thought we looked quite good. We served well, especially in the fourth set when it was critical. I was proud of my guys and it was a good team effort.”
Leading the Mustangs was Garrett May with a team high 17 points with 15 kills and 5 digs, followed closely by Alan Screaton with 16 points and 16 kills. Setter Sean McKay contributed 43 assists.
It was a tough start to the first set with the Mustangs giving up the first four points, allowing their opponents to gain a lead. Hits from middle Luke Sim kept Western in the match as they fought to climb back. Outside hitter Justin Scapinello forced a hit down Ryerson’s sideline, putting Western just behind the Rams on the scoreboard. The Mustangs were short three at the technical timeout, but that did not last for long as Scapinello delivered another ball over the net to tie the set 19-19, followed by a kill from May to push the ‘Stangs ahead. Western went on to trump Ryerson 25-22.
With Western leading by one set, the second set commenced with both teams exchanging points until Ryerson managed to hold a few points over Western’s head. The Rams continued to hold their slight edge over the Mustangs, forcing Western to call a timeout. Behind by five at the technical timeout, the Mustangs came back onto the court looking to redeem themselves. Despite some hard kills by Screaton, it was not enough to pull ahead of Ryerson and the home team fell 17-25.
Tied with one set each, the Mustangs took control of the court earning an early lead over their opponent in the third set. With Western gaining a substantial lead, Ryerson paused to call a timeout. Maintaining their large lead, the Mustangs sat eight points ahead of the Rams at the technical timeout, and continued to rack in the points after the break. With a 22-11 lead, Western took control of the remainder of the set and easily won it 25-15.
Up two sets, the Mustangs and Rams rallied back and fourth for every point in the fourth set. Ryerson edged Western, but the Mustangs had the strength to even the score. Kills from Phil James kept the white and purple on top, while Screaton caught the Ryerson defense off-guard with his hits. Eventually the Mustangs took the fourth set by a score of 25-18, allowing them to claim a 3-1 victory over the Ryerson Rams.
Leading the Rams was Robert Wojcik with a game high 22 points and 21 kills.
Source: Western Sport Info
Guelph @ Waterloo
The No. 10 Warriors narrowly avoided an upset on Friday night as they snuck past the visiting Guelph Gryphons in five sets (25-23, 18-25, 25-22, 24-26, 15-13) at the PAC. The thrilling seesaw battle was capped off with a tremendous fifth set which saw the Warriors come out on top following a double block at the net by Jordan Dyck (St. Catharines) and Fiodar Kazhamiaka (Waterloo).
Waterloo's third straight win propels their record to 14-2 while although their play did not reflect it tonight, Guelph dropped to 4-12.
The first set opened with back and forth play before the Gryphons took a 23-21 lead late into the set. The Warriors would however flex their muscles and tally the next four points with great blocking by Dyck at the net to take the opening set 25-23.
The second set would be all Gryphons with rookie left side Timothy Warnholtz (Guelph) leading the offensive charge notching several of his 17 total kills as Guelph would cruise to the 25-18 second set win.
Guelph continued their offensive pressure into the third and pivotal set opening up a 9-4 lead but the resilient Warriors would come out of a timeout with five straight points to even the score at 9-all. Scott Thomson (St. Marys) would step up his game midway through the set and strong serving by Tyler Motherwell (Toronto/Warriors) would put the black and gold up 15-13. The never-say-die Gryphons fought their way back into the set to make it 21-all but would make detrimental errors down the stretch to hand Waterloo the set 25-22 and 2-1 lead.
After a fairly even start to the fourth set Guelph would open up a 16-12 lead but again the home side would draw even thanks to strong hitting from the left side by Kazhamiaka. With the Gryphons up 24-21 Waterloo would fight off three straight set points to even the score at 24-all before Guelph would benefit from a Waterloo hitting error to capture the fourth set 26-24.
The fifth and final set would see the Warriors take an 8-4 lead before Guelph would battle all the way back to take a 10-9 lead into a timeout. The Warriors would benefit from a well drawn up play as Zachary Doherty (Goderich) would put away the kill to even the score. The two combatants would go point-for-point before Waterloo's blocking duo of Dyck and Kazhamiaka would send the ball back on the Gryphons side to take the set 15-13 and match 3-2.
Jordan Dyck (St. Catharines) was key in the middle for the Warriors with 11 kills on just 16 attacks while adding an incredible nine blocks. Kazhamiaka was also strong from the left side with 14 kills while Doherty had 11 from the right. Thomson picked up 30 assists in the win while Erich Woolley (New Dundee) made 21 digs, several of which were highlight reel digs.
Waterloo will enjoy the rest of the weekend off before they close out the regular season at home against the Windsor Lancers on Friday and Western Mustangs on Saturday. Both games are set for 8pm at the PAC.
Source: Waterloo Sports Info
February 2 - York @ Queen's
KINGSTON, Ont. (February 2, 2013) - The Queen's Gaels (10-5) had no trouble getting past the York Lions (8-8) on Saturday afternoon as the Gaels cruised to a 3-0 win. Set scores finished 27-25, 25-20 and 25-20.
The first set saw the two teams keeping the score close until Queen's was able to pull ahead 16-12 at the technical timeout. Stephen Holmes (Ancaster, Ont.) gave the Gaels the momentum with one of his seven kills on the afternoon. The Lions managed to claw back into the game and even the score at 25-25. Queen's outside hitters Mike Tomlinson (Stratford, Ont.) and Philippe Goyer (Ottawa, Ont.) provided the power needed to close out the set with back-to-back kills for a 27-25 win.
In the second frame, York got off to a quick start jumping ahead 5-2 thanks to two kills from Felipe Human-Paredes (Toronto) who finished with eight on the day. Queen's came right back at the Lions taking eight of the next 10 points to jump ahead 10-7. The Gaels stayed in front the rest of the way and Tomlinson and Goyer once again closed the set with back-to-back kills, 25-20.
The York Lions stayed close with the Gaels in the third set with help from Gregory Ivan (Toronto)
getting a few kills from the middle. Queen's managed to keep the Lions at bay, never trailing by more than one point in the set. The Gaels stayed the course and closed out the set 25-20 for a 3-0 straight set win.
Source: Queen's Sports Info
Toronto @ Western
LONDON, Ont. – Following their four set victory over the Ryerson Rams on Friday night the Western Mustangs men’s volleyball team returned to home court for the final time in the regular season on Saturday, taking down the Toronto Varsity Blues in straight sets.
As is tradition for the final regular season home game, Saturday night’s match was Senior Night for the team as they honoured their senior players prior to the game. This year the Mustangs celebrated the careers of seven Mustangs: Sean McKay, Jack Creaghan, Luke Sim, Craig Dixon, Andre Begin, Phil James, and Alan Screaton.
The seniors certainly made the most of their final regular season game in front of the purple and white faithful, winning all three sets by at least six points.
Garret May led the Mustangs with 17 points and 16 kills. James was second on the Mustangs score sheet with 10.5 points while Sim added seven kills, good for second on the team. Toronto was led by Jake Dyssellhof, who racked up 11 points and 11 kills while Michael Denton also had a strong game adding 25 assists.
Western now enters the final week of regular season play in third place with a 12-4 record. The Mustangs sit only four points behind the Waterloo Warriors, meaing their matchup next Saturday could have major implications on the OUA playoff picture.
Before their showdown with the Warriors the Mustangs will get their final pair of regular season games underway on Friday night when they travel to Guelph to face the Gryphons. Game time is set for 8:00 p.m.
Source: Western Sports Info
Ryerson @ Windsor
WINDSOR, Ont.- Kyle Williamson recorded a game-high 14 kills, and the Windsor Lancers men's volleyball team snapped their four-game losing streak by notching a straight sets (25-16, 25-22, 25-20) victory over the visiting Ryerson Rams on Saturday evening.
After honouring their graduating seniors in a pregame ceremony, which included Williamson, Ryan Leknois and Scott Hickman, the Lancers came out of the gate energized, jumping on the Lancers for a quick first set victory. After holding off a late surge from the visitors in the second set, the men clinched their fourth win of the season after rallying from behind in the third.
Leknois capped the victory with a thundering kill on match-point, ending the game with six kills and two aces. Greg Simone added seven kills for the Lancers, who sit tied for eighth in the conference heading into their final games next weeked on the road. Windsor will face the Waterloo Warriors next Friday, and are back on the court in Guelph on Saturday night against the Gryphons.
Source: Windsor Sports Info
February 3 - York @ RMC
The York University Lions men's volleyball team cruised to a 3-0 sweep of the RMC Paladins on Sunday afternoon (Feb. 3) at the Kingston Military Community Sports Centre.
The game opened with the Lions jumping out to an early lead, as they established momentum and didn't look back. They took the first set by a comfortable 25-17 score.
The second set saw the Paladins exhibit a little more tenacity as they kept the score close all throughout. Neither team was able to pull away, but it would be the Lions who would come up with the few key points, and they won the second set by a score of 25-22.
The Paladins did all they could to avoid a sweep, keeping the game tight in the third set. However, the Lions had no intentions of letting the game drag on and they executed in the clutch moments down the stretch to complete the sweep by taking the third set 25-23.
The Lions were led by fifth-year outside hitter Karim Khalil (Mississauga, Ont.), who scored a game high 13.5 points on 12 kills, one service ace and one assisted block. Fellow outside hitter Ray Szeto (Sutton, Ont.) contributed 12 points on 11 kills and one block.
The Paladins were paced by middle blocker Thomas McMullen (Ottawa), who scored a team high 11 points on nine kills and two blocks.
The win boosts the Lions record to 9-8 on the season and clinches fifth place in the OUA standings with one game remaining on the schedule.
The Lions next game will be their season finale when they play host to the McMaster Marauders on Sunday (Feb. 10) at the Tait McKenzie Centre. The game is scheduled for 2pm.
Source: York Sports Info
McMaster @ Queen's
KINGSTON, Ont. (February 3, 2013) – The Queen's Gaels men's volleyball team (10-6) was in action Sunday afternoon against the No. 2 McMaster Marauders (17-0) at the ARC Main Gym, in a match that saw the Gaels go up 1-0 only to end up losing three straight sets to close the match out 3-1 (25-23,14-25,19-25,22-25).
Before the game the two graduating members of the team, Jackson Dakin (Courtenay, B.C.) and Wesley Chen, were honoured by head coach Brenda Willis and manager of interuniversity sport program Janean Sergeant. Wesley Chen has been the team's technical assistant for several seasons, and plays an important role in the technical aspects of the team, such as: recording games, keeping statistics and following game trends.
“Although he wasn't blessed with a body for volleyball, there is no questioning Wesley's love and knowledge of volleyball. Wesley can always be found with a laptop, camera and smile on his face and he is an asset to our team. He has great interpersonal skills, and is currently finishing up his honours in Kinesiology with the hopes of pursuing medicine.” Coach Willis said of her talented technical assistant.
Fifth-year setter Jackson Dakin (Courtenay, B.C.) is the Gaels leader, quarterbacking their offense and providing an important defensive presence—demonstrating poise and determination both on and off the court. Dakin currently leads the team in digs and assists, with 101 and 407 respectively.
Coach Willis had the following to say of her star setter. “Your team is only as good as your setter, and Jackson Dakin is one of the greatest setters in this league. He has captained our team for the past five years, with his quirky nature and high spirits making him a pleasure to coach. Jackson has been instrumental in quarterbacking our team to where we are this season, and in our OUA and CIS runs last season. Jackson Dakin has played in over 325 games, recorded 100 blocks and over 2000 assists.”
The Gaels had added motivation heading into the first set, playing as underdogs to the No. 2 McMaster Marauders and having the added energy of the honouring of graduating teammates before the game. Queen's wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, with Mike Tomlinson (Stratford, Ont.) and Philippe Goyer (Ottawa) each recording two kills to help put the Gaels up 10-8 midway through the first. The Marauders and Gaels exchanged points until late in the set, when Goyer was able to close things out with his fourth kill of the set.
Unfortunately for Queen's, McMaster was able to find their offensive productivity in the second set with Dany Demyanenko Jimenez (Toronto) recording six kills. The Gaels set-high 11 attacking errors in the second, also gave the Marauders an opportunity to claim an easy game, 25-14.
McMaster's offense picked up where it left off after the second set, starting off on a 6-2 run led by Jimenez. Queen's was able to close the gap with a strong set from Scott Brunet (Calgary) who recorded three kills. It was not enough however as Gaels errors and continued dominance from Jimenez gave the Marauders a 25-19 set victory.
The Gaels showed desperation in the fourth set, playing with an increased tempo especially nearing the final points of the set. Queen's was able to pull within two points with strong play from Domino's “Dominator of the Game” Stephen Holmes (Ancaster, Ont.) who recorded four kills in the final frame. It was not enough however as the Gaels were defeated 25-22 in the set, closing out a 3-1 match.
The Queen's Gaels men's volleyball team returns to action next weekend when they hit the road to visit the Toronto Varsity Blues and Ryerson Rams. The Gaels currently sit fourth in the OUA, with Ryerson in sixth and Toronto in seventh. Queen's starts the trip Saturday in Toronto, where they visit the Varsity Blues at the University of Toronto Athletic Centre. Game time is set for 1pm. Queen's has 4th in the OUA East locked up as they hold tie-break scenarios with the York Lions, the team will be hosting a home playoff game.
Source: Queen's Sports Info
