February 18, 2013
M-VOLLEYBALL PLAYOFF ROUNDUP: Waterloo, York, Western join McMaster in the Final Four
February 15 - Ryerson @ Western
LONDON, Ont.- The Western Mustangs men’s volleyball team returned to home court tonight to host their first game of this year’s OUA playoffs in Alumni Hall. Their opponent was the sixth place Ryerson Rams in the OUA quarterfinal match. With their eyes set on a spot in the Final Four, the Mustangs stepped onto the court confident and motivated and were able to defeat the Ryerson Rams 3-1. The Mustangs advance to the OUA Final Four tournament on February 22 held at McMaster University in Hamilton.
Set scores were 25-18, 25-17, 22-25, 25-20
After their win, head coach Jim Sage spoke about his team’s winning effort.
“I’m very excited and I’m proud of the guys,” Sage said about winning the OUA quarterfinal. “The guys are learning how to compete, and good for Ryerson for making a comeback in the third set—it gave us a bit of a scare. It was a good win for us and a small step in the right direction.”
Leading the Mustangs was Garrett May with 21 kills and a team high 21.5 points. Alan Screaton earned 11 kills and 12 points, followed by Luke Sim and Andre Begin each with eight digs, and Sean McKay contributed 48 assists.
Stepping onto the court for their first bout of the playoffs, Western came out strong and earned the first point of the set. Repeated kills by middle Sim kept the Mustangs ahead as they challenged the Rams during every rally. Despite Western’s higher ranking in the regular season standings, the Rams came prepared to battle for their own spot in the Final Four, turning the set into a point for point affair.
May fed the Rams some balls they could not return, while outside hitter Justin Scapinello followed suit, raising the Mustangs’ count on the scoreboard, and giving them a small lead. After another hit from May, Western led 16-13 at the technical timeout. Middle Phil James was on the ball—literally—tipping it over the net and catching the guests off guard. With Western up by six, Ryerson called a timeout. Left side Screaton earned the set point after a powerful kill, and the Mustangs were able to capitalize on the set point to take the first set 25-18.
With the first set under their belt, the Mustangs recharged and stepped on the court to finish what they started. Earning the first few points of the set, Western took an early lead over Ryerson, forcing them into an early timeout. May took charge, powering the ball into places on the court the Rams barely knew existed. Western held a six-point lead over the Rams at technical the timeout. And the scoring for Western continued with James helping Western get an eight-point lead by blocking attempts from Ryerson. Winning the race to set point, the Mustangs took the second set 25-17.
Setter McKay earned the first point of the third set, sneaking the ball over the net before the Rams could notice. The set quickly turned into a point for point affair before Ryerson gained a slight edge on Western. However, this only lasted for a moment before Screaton sent a ball over the net that Ryerson was unable to return. With both sides rallying for every point, giving nothing away easily, the score remained close with no team able to gain a dominant lead. James carried the team to a tie on a smash, while libero Begin saved Ryerson’s hits from the backcourt on numerous occasions. Yet, Ryerson still had a one point lead at technical the timeout.
With the Rams leading 20-18, Sage called a timeout. Ryerson pushed closer toward the finish line, and won the race to set point. The tension was high and the rallies were long, but the Rams managed to take the third set 25-22.
With the Mustangs leading the match 2-1, they were looking to close it out without having to play a deciding fifth set. However, the first point of the set went to the Rams, who picked up speed and immediately turned the set into a point for point affair. Ryerson managed to edge Western slightly, but hits from Screaton kept the Mustangs within close count.
Sneaking the ball over the net, McKay caught the visitors off guard, giving the Mustangs a 10-7 lead. The fourth set was not an easy battle and every point was a fight. Leading 16-13 at the technical timeout, the Mustangs managed to keep their edge, but it was not easy, especially with strong offence from Ryerson’s Luka Milosevic. Holding five points over the Rams, the Mustangs forced Ryerson into a timeout late in the set. But even with the timeout, white and purple won the race to match point, and eventually took the set 25-20, and the OUA quarterfinal match by a score of 3-1.
Leading the Rams was Robert Wojcik with 25 kills on 47 attempts and a game high 26 points.
The Western Mustangs’ next match will be at the OUA Final Four on February 22.
Source: Western Sports Info
February 16 - Toronto @ Waterloo
The Waterloo men's volleyball team are off to the OUA final four for the second straight season after a nail-biting 3-1 (25-20, 17-25, 26-24, 25-23) win over the Toronto Varsity Blues on Saturday night at the PAC.
The feisty Blues battled the second ranked Warriors every step of the way, splitting the opening sets but the resilient Warriors won the key points down the stretch to sneak past the Blues and earn a berth into the final four.
The opening set saw the Blues jump out of the gate to a 7-2 lead but Waterloo would shake off the opening set jitters and bounce back to even things at 10-all. From there the black and gold would use strong blocking and effective serving to claim the set 25-20.
Toronto came out firing once again in the second set, taking a 4-1 lead but this time would maintain control of the set. With Waterloo holding a slight 14-12 lead the Blues would notch eight straight points to take a 20-14 lead and would cruise to the 25-17 set win.
The third and pivotal set would get the fans on their feet with the rally of the match. With the Blues holding a slim 8-7 lead Waterloo and Toronto would turn up the intensity and defensive prowess which ensued in a lengthy rally capped off by a strong kill by right side Zachary Doherty (Goderich) of the Warriors.
The two combatants would again exchange several points before Waterloo would go on a 5-0 run to take a 16-11 lead midway through the set. The Blues would eventually close the gap and Waterloo held a slight 24-23 lead late into the set. With several key blocks by Jordan Dyck (St. Catharines) in the middle the Warriors would take the all-important third set 26-24 and 2-1 lead in the match.
The fourth set would open much like the third with Toronto jumping out to a slim lead before Waterloo would put away eight straight points to take a 13-9 lead. The gritty Blues squad would however not go down without a fight as right side Mitchell Woodside (Clyde River, PEI) would put away several kills to bring the visiting side right back into the set.
Toronto would pull ahead by two (23-21) late in the set but Waterloo would use their height advantage to take the next four points and win the set 25-23 to advance to the OUA final four next weekend.
Waterloo was led by left side Fiodar Kazhamiaka (Waterloo) who had 15 points on his 10 kills and six assisted blocks. Kazhamiaka also had two service aces and seven digs in the win. In the middle Jordan Dyck (St. Catharines) was a factor with 10 kills and added three blocks while James Evans (Rockwood/Warriors) and Zach Doherty had seven and six kills respectively.
Defensively Erich Woolley (New Dundee) had 11 digs while setter Scott Thomson (St. Marys) collected 31 assists.
For the Blues Woodside led all players with 18.5 points on his 15 kills, two service aces and two blocks. Jake Dysselhof (Mississauga, Ont.) also contributed to the Blues attack with eight kills while setter Michael Denton (Scarborough, Ont.) had a strong game with 36 assists while collecting a game high 15 digs.
The Warriors will now face the Western Mustangs in Hamilton at the OUA Final Four on Friday, February 22 at 5:30pm.
Source: Waterloo Sports Info
York @ Queen's
KINGSTON, Ont. (February 16, 2013) – The Queen's Gaels men's volleyball team was in action Saturday evening against the York Lions, in OUA Quarterfinal action that saw the Gaels be upset by the 5 seed York Lions, 3-2 (25-23,22-25,25-22,16-25,16-18) in a five set thriller.
Queen's left no room for doubt in the first set, as they took a commanding 7-1 lead. Mike Tomlinson (Stratford, Ont.) put the Gaels up early recording back-to-back kills. York helped Queen's build a large first set lead, recording six errors early helping Queen's get out in front 16-10 heading into the first set technical timeout. York was able to rally after the timeout being led by offside-hitter Ray Szeto (Sutton, Ont.), and pulling within one, 24-23. After the longest rally of the set, Queen's was able to close out the set defensively, forcing a York error, and winning 25-23.
Tomlinson and crew started the second where they left off, making a dominant stand to win the first few points of the set. York was able to draw even and continue to stay on the Gaels heels throughout the second set. Philippe Goyer (Ottawa) was noteworthy for the Gaels in the second recording three timely and awe-inspiring digs, and a pair of kills to keep Queen's ahead. A tricky dump shot from veteran setter Jackson Dakin (Courtenay, B.C.) followed by a York error gave the tricolour a 21-19 lead late. The Lions were able to draw even at 21 with a kill from Szeto and a Gaels error. York continued to build on their lead with a timely kill from veteran Karim Khalil (Mississauga, Ont.), followed by a Szeto block that gave the Lions a 25-22 set win.
Both teams came out desperate to take the set lead heading into the third. The Gaels were able to take the edge early with strong play up front from Tyler Scheerhoorn (Belleville, Ont.) who contributed on a key block followed by an efficient tip shot. The Gaels rallied and were able to muster a 3-0 run capped off by an authoritative Tomlinson kill. A powerful Stephen Holmes (Ancaster, Ont.) block midway through the frame really got the crowd into the game, and Holmes was able to follow up with a well placed kill to give Queen's their biggest lead of the set, 13-9. The Gaels were able to maintain their lead heading into the technical timeout with strong play from their front line, including: Goyer, Tomlinson and Scheerhoorn. Queen's continued to show impressive timing and touch on the defensive end of the ball, recording two blocks late to give the Gaels a 21-16 lead. Goyer was able to find open floor with a well placed kill, followed by a York error that closed out the set 25-22, giving Queen's the 2-1 set lead.
York was able to gain some momentum early in the fourth set, kicking the set off on a 5-0 run. The Lions continued their set dominance with Szeto leading the way with three kills early in the set. Szeto and the York front line kept the Gaels diving with powerful kills and tricky dump shots. Queen's did not help their fourth set chances recording multiple attacking errors to help the Lions close out the frame, 25-16.
The final set of the OUA Quaterfinal showdown, saw Queen's return to form and get back to their front line efficiency. An impressive Dakin block on Szeto followed by a Holmes kill gave the Gaels an early 4-2 lead. York's front line proved they could be just as effective with Khalil recording a block on Tomlinson. Khalil then followed up with an off-side attack into Gaels floor to draw things even at five. The two teams exchanged points heading into the fifth set turnaround, with neither team being able to build any sort of lead. The constant exchange of points between the teams forced extra points where York was eventually able to claim the match off a Gaels error. With the win, the Lions now move on to the OUA Final Four tournament that will be held at McMaster University.
Source: Queen's Sports Info
LONDON, Ont.- The Western Mustangs men’s volleyball team returned to home court tonight to host their first game of this year’s OUA playoffs in Alumni Hall. Their opponent was the sixth place Ryerson Rams in the OUA quarterfinal match. With their eyes set on a spot in the Final Four, the Mustangs stepped onto the court confident and motivated and were able to defeat the Ryerson Rams 3-1. The Mustangs advance to the OUA Final Four tournament on February 22 held at McMaster University in Hamilton.
Set scores were 25-18, 25-17, 22-25, 25-20
After their win, head coach Jim Sage spoke about his team’s winning effort.
“I’m very excited and I’m proud of the guys,” Sage said about winning the OUA quarterfinal. “The guys are learning how to compete, and good for Ryerson for making a comeback in the third set—it gave us a bit of a scare. It was a good win for us and a small step in the right direction.”
Leading the Mustangs was Garrett May with 21 kills and a team high 21.5 points. Alan Screaton earned 11 kills and 12 points, followed by Luke Sim and Andre Begin each with eight digs, and Sean McKay contributed 48 assists.
Stepping onto the court for their first bout of the playoffs, Western came out strong and earned the first point of the set. Repeated kills by middle Sim kept the Mustangs ahead as they challenged the Rams during every rally. Despite Western’s higher ranking in the regular season standings, the Rams came prepared to battle for their own spot in the Final Four, turning the set into a point for point affair.
May fed the Rams some balls they could not return, while outside hitter Justin Scapinello followed suit, raising the Mustangs’ count on the scoreboard, and giving them a small lead. After another hit from May, Western led 16-13 at the technical timeout. Middle Phil James was on the ball—literally—tipping it over the net and catching the guests off guard. With Western up by six, Ryerson called a timeout. Left side Screaton earned the set point after a powerful kill, and the Mustangs were able to capitalize on the set point to take the first set 25-18.
With the first set under their belt, the Mustangs recharged and stepped on the court to finish what they started. Earning the first few points of the set, Western took an early lead over Ryerson, forcing them into an early timeout. May took charge, powering the ball into places on the court the Rams barely knew existed. Western held a six-point lead over the Rams at technical the timeout. And the scoring for Western continued with James helping Western get an eight-point lead by blocking attempts from Ryerson. Winning the race to set point, the Mustangs took the second set 25-17.
Setter McKay earned the first point of the third set, sneaking the ball over the net before the Rams could notice. The set quickly turned into a point for point affair before Ryerson gained a slight edge on Western. However, this only lasted for a moment before Screaton sent a ball over the net that Ryerson was unable to return. With both sides rallying for every point, giving nothing away easily, the score remained close with no team able to gain a dominant lead. James carried the team to a tie on a smash, while libero Begin saved Ryerson’s hits from the backcourt on numerous occasions. Yet, Ryerson still had a one point lead at technical the timeout.
With the Rams leading 20-18, Sage called a timeout. Ryerson pushed closer toward the finish line, and won the race to set point. The tension was high and the rallies were long, but the Rams managed to take the third set 25-22.
With the Mustangs leading the match 2-1, they were looking to close it out without having to play a deciding fifth set. However, the first point of the set went to the Rams, who picked up speed and immediately turned the set into a point for point affair. Ryerson managed to edge Western slightly, but hits from Screaton kept the Mustangs within close count.
Sneaking the ball over the net, McKay caught the visitors off guard, giving the Mustangs a 10-7 lead. The fourth set was not an easy battle and every point was a fight. Leading 16-13 at the technical timeout, the Mustangs managed to keep their edge, but it was not easy, especially with strong offence from Ryerson’s Luka Milosevic. Holding five points over the Rams, the Mustangs forced Ryerson into a timeout late in the set. But even with the timeout, white and purple won the race to match point, and eventually took the set 25-20, and the OUA quarterfinal match by a score of 3-1.
Leading the Rams was Robert Wojcik with 25 kills on 47 attempts and a game high 26 points.
The Western Mustangs’ next match will be at the OUA Final Four on February 22.
Source: Western Sports Info
February 16 - Toronto @ Waterloo
The Waterloo men's volleyball team are off to the OUA final four for the second straight season after a nail-biting 3-1 (25-20, 17-25, 26-24, 25-23) win over the Toronto Varsity Blues on Saturday night at the PAC.
The feisty Blues battled the second ranked Warriors every step of the way, splitting the opening sets but the resilient Warriors won the key points down the stretch to sneak past the Blues and earn a berth into the final four.
The opening set saw the Blues jump out of the gate to a 7-2 lead but Waterloo would shake off the opening set jitters and bounce back to even things at 10-all. From there the black and gold would use strong blocking and effective serving to claim the set 25-20.
Toronto came out firing once again in the second set, taking a 4-1 lead but this time would maintain control of the set. With Waterloo holding a slight 14-12 lead the Blues would notch eight straight points to take a 20-14 lead and would cruise to the 25-17 set win.
The third and pivotal set would get the fans on their feet with the rally of the match. With the Blues holding a slim 8-7 lead Waterloo and Toronto would turn up the intensity and defensive prowess which ensued in a lengthy rally capped off by a strong kill by right side Zachary Doherty (Goderich) of the Warriors.
The two combatants would again exchange several points before Waterloo would go on a 5-0 run to take a 16-11 lead midway through the set. The Blues would eventually close the gap and Waterloo held a slight 24-23 lead late into the set. With several key blocks by Jordan Dyck (St. Catharines) in the middle the Warriors would take the all-important third set 26-24 and 2-1 lead in the match.
The fourth set would open much like the third with Toronto jumping out to a slim lead before Waterloo would put away eight straight points to take a 13-9 lead. The gritty Blues squad would however not go down without a fight as right side Mitchell Woodside (Clyde River, PEI) would put away several kills to bring the visiting side right back into the set.
Toronto would pull ahead by two (23-21) late in the set but Waterloo would use their height advantage to take the next four points and win the set 25-23 to advance to the OUA final four next weekend.
Waterloo was led by left side Fiodar Kazhamiaka (Waterloo) who had 15 points on his 10 kills and six assisted blocks. Kazhamiaka also had two service aces and seven digs in the win. In the middle Jordan Dyck (St. Catharines) was a factor with 10 kills and added three blocks while James Evans (Rockwood/Warriors) and Zach Doherty had seven and six kills respectively.
Defensively Erich Woolley (New Dundee) had 11 digs while setter Scott Thomson (St. Marys) collected 31 assists.
For the Blues Woodside led all players with 18.5 points on his 15 kills, two service aces and two blocks. Jake Dysselhof (Mississauga, Ont.) also contributed to the Blues attack with eight kills while setter Michael Denton (Scarborough, Ont.) had a strong game with 36 assists while collecting a game high 15 digs.
The Warriors will now face the Western Mustangs in Hamilton at the OUA Final Four on Friday, February 22 at 5:30pm.
Source: Waterloo Sports Info
York @ Queen's
KINGSTON, Ont. (February 16, 2013) – The Queen's Gaels men's volleyball team was in action Saturday evening against the York Lions, in OUA Quarterfinal action that saw the Gaels be upset by the 5 seed York Lions, 3-2 (25-23,22-25,25-22,16-25,16-18) in a five set thriller.
Queen's left no room for doubt in the first set, as they took a commanding 7-1 lead. Mike Tomlinson (Stratford, Ont.) put the Gaels up early recording back-to-back kills. York helped Queen's build a large first set lead, recording six errors early helping Queen's get out in front 16-10 heading into the first set technical timeout. York was able to rally after the timeout being led by offside-hitter Ray Szeto (Sutton, Ont.), and pulling within one, 24-23. After the longest rally of the set, Queen's was able to close out the set defensively, forcing a York error, and winning 25-23.
Tomlinson and crew started the second where they left off, making a dominant stand to win the first few points of the set. York was able to draw even and continue to stay on the Gaels heels throughout the second set. Philippe Goyer (Ottawa) was noteworthy for the Gaels in the second recording three timely and awe-inspiring digs, and a pair of kills to keep Queen's ahead. A tricky dump shot from veteran setter Jackson Dakin (Courtenay, B.C.) followed by a York error gave the tricolour a 21-19 lead late. The Lions were able to draw even at 21 with a kill from Szeto and a Gaels error. York continued to build on their lead with a timely kill from veteran Karim Khalil (Mississauga, Ont.), followed by a Szeto block that gave the Lions a 25-22 set win.
Both teams came out desperate to take the set lead heading into the third. The Gaels were able to take the edge early with strong play up front from Tyler Scheerhoorn (Belleville, Ont.) who contributed on a key block followed by an efficient tip shot. The Gaels rallied and were able to muster a 3-0 run capped off by an authoritative Tomlinson kill. A powerful Stephen Holmes (Ancaster, Ont.) block midway through the frame really got the crowd into the game, and Holmes was able to follow up with a well placed kill to give Queen's their biggest lead of the set, 13-9. The Gaels were able to maintain their lead heading into the technical timeout with strong play from their front line, including: Goyer, Tomlinson and Scheerhoorn. Queen's continued to show impressive timing and touch on the defensive end of the ball, recording two blocks late to give the Gaels a 21-16 lead. Goyer was able to find open floor with a well placed kill, followed by a York error that closed out the set 25-22, giving Queen's the 2-1 set lead.
York was able to gain some momentum early in the fourth set, kicking the set off on a 5-0 run. The Lions continued their set dominance with Szeto leading the way with three kills early in the set. Szeto and the York front line kept the Gaels diving with powerful kills and tricky dump shots. Queen's did not help their fourth set chances recording multiple attacking errors to help the Lions close out the frame, 25-16.
The final set of the OUA Quaterfinal showdown, saw Queen's return to form and get back to their front line efficiency. An impressive Dakin block on Szeto followed by a Holmes kill gave the Gaels an early 4-2 lead. York's front line proved they could be just as effective with Khalil recording a block on Tomlinson. Khalil then followed up with an off-side attack into Gaels floor to draw things even at five. The two teams exchanged points heading into the fifth set turnaround, with neither team being able to build any sort of lead. The constant exchange of points between the teams forced extra points where York was eventually able to claim the match off a Gaels error. With the win, the Lions now move on to the OUA Final Four tournament that will be held at McMaster University.
Source: Queen's Sports Info
