MEN'S VOLLEYBALL ROUNDUP: York, Ryerson, Waterloo, Western in a logjam for second place
Western 2 @ McMaster 3
Pushed to the brink by the Western Mustangs for the second time this season, the McMaster Marauders once again found their game – and a victory – in the fifth set.
The hosts watched a two-set lead evaporate as Western stormed back to claim consecutive nail-biters in the third and fourth. But the Marauders held their nerve while the Mustangs lost theirs, and rode out a 15-10 decision in the final set to preserve their perfect OUA record. Tied for the CIS no. 1 ranking, McMaster moved to 11-0 on the season while Western cruelly fell to 8-3.
Jori Mantha shouldered the offensive load for the Marauders on Friday, as he has done on so many occasions this season. The fourth-year outside hitter finished with 23.5 points – a season high for him – after converting on 20 of 36 hitting attempts with just three errors (47.2 per cent) and adding three aces and a block assist.
Pawel Jedrzejewski led all players with 11 digs.
Meanwhile, the Mustangs enjoyed a productive night in the middle, with Luke Sim pacing Western with 21.5 points on 16 of 21 hitting with one error (71.4 per cent), an ace and a total of four and a half blocks. Fellow middle hitter Phil James had 19 points on 15 of 25 hitting, while notching two aces and two solo blocks.
The two teams opened the match on shaky ground, with a flurry of service errors exchanged between the sides before rally play could settle in. In what was an exceptionally closely-contested set, the Marauders ground out a late lead to claim it.
Western appeared to have the second frame well in hand, when they carried a healthy lead into the technical timeout. But McMaster coach Dave Preston inserted Shayne Herbert into the lineup at the break, who made an immediate impact, particularly on the block.
Herbert's emotional solo denial nudged the Marauders ahead at 21, and they doggedly held off the Mustangs for a two-set advantage.
But Western would not squander its chances in the third or fourth sets, instead using the consistent production of its middle duo to stay just ahead of the hosts. Sim and James hammered away, even as defending OUA MVP Garrett May was finding resistance on the outside.
Fittingly, it was a Sim kill that put the fourth set to bed, as he carved a shot just inside the far sideline to knot the match at two sets apiece.
Momentum pointed to the Mustangs as the fifth and deciding set opened. But the Marauders had other plans.
Jayson McCarthy – whose night on the outside had been quiet to that point – bombed three aces in quick succession, and added two kills as McMaster opened a commanding lead in the abbreviated, 15-point period. A momentary fightback from Western forced a cautionary timeout from Preston, but the night was won when Mantha found the floor at the end of a long rally for 15-10 and 3-2.
Source: McMaster Sports Info
Waterloo 3 @ RMC 0
The Warriors kicked off the New Year with a relatively routine straight set win over the RMC Paladins on Friday night in Kingston. Waterloo was able to give their young talent some playing time and the first year players answered the call with strong play throughout. Waterloo opened with a 25-17 set victory before taking the next two 25-22, 25-20.
Leading the charge was rookie right side Braden Cok (Waterloo) with 10 kills while adding one service ace and one block. Another rookie Aaron Wiersma (St. Catharines)posted five kills in the win hitting from the left side. Veteran middle Jordan Dyck (St. Catharines) completed the black and gold attack with five kills of his own while also adding three solo blocks. Leading all blockers was Tyler Motherwell (Toronto/Warriors) with four.
Rookie setter Gibson Graham (Markham) had a strong contest with 24 assists while Philippe Piche (Ottawa) saw some action as libero and finished the game with 21 digs.
For the Paladins, four different attackers finished the game with four kills while setter Jordan Larocque had 14 assists in the loss.
Waterloo moved into a three-way tie with Ryerson and Western for second spot overall in the OUA with an 8-3 record. All three squads are chasing McMaster who sits atop the standings with a perfect 11-0 record.
Source: Waterloo Sports Info
Saturday, January 11
Ryerson 2 @ York 3
The York University Lions men's volleyball team won an exciting nail-biter Saturday (Jan. 11), defeating the Ryerson Rams in five sets at the Tait McKenzie Centre.
Ryerson would steal the first set 26-24, but York rebounded in the second, 25-21, and the third 25-8. The Rams would claim the fourth though, 25-21, forcing a fifth and final set, which York took 15-12 for the win.
The Lions move to 8-3 on the year with the win, tying them for second place in the OUA standings with Waterloo, Western and Ryerson. All but the Rams have played 11 games this season, while the Rams are already at 12.
Ray Szeto (Sutton, Ont.) opened the scoring for the Lions with a beautiful, hard spike to jumpstart the game, as both teams exchanged blows, and points, back and forth towards an early 8-8 tie. Szeto would finish with 23 points on 19 kills, three blocks and one service ace, and also added 10 digs in the match. He remains the OUA's scoring leader with an average of 4.91 points per set.
The two teams continued to trade points throughout the opening set, with neither team able to gain an advantage greater than one. The score was deadlocked at 22-all before the Rams capitalized with a pair of blocks to move within one point of victory. The Lions forced the set to be extended but the Rams ultimately claimed the first set.
The second set's script read much like the first, as the squads leapfrogged each other on the way to a 14-14 mark. Determined, the Lions utilized some nifty moves at the net, overtaking the lead 20-19 down the stretch and forcing a Ryerson timeout. Clicking on all cylinders, an energized York squad closed out the frame.
After splitting the first two sets, York jumped out to a quick 6-1 lead in the third, thanks in part to an incredible dig byNikola Sandic (Etobicoke, Ont.) to save a point to force another Rams timeout. Riding the momentum, the Lions kept rolling towards a 16-4 tally at the technical timeout, inevitably taking the set in an impressive routing.
Sandic finished with a game-high 12 digs and also had two assists.
With their backs against the wall, the Rams came out firing in the fourth with four unanswered points to force a York timeout early. The Lions climbed back and the two teams were tied 15-all at the mid-point of the set, but the Rams were the ones who strung a few points together to reclaim the lead and force a fifth and deciding set.
The Lions ripped off three consecutive points to open the final set, catching Ryerson off balance. But the Rams quickly returned the favour, and once again the set was tied at its mid-point. The Lions pulled slightly ahead at 14-12, and then Szeto ended the match the way he opened it, with an emphatic kill into the lap of a Ryerson player that secured the victory.
In addition to Szeto, Nicolas Pirnat (Ottawa) was stellar for the Lions, accumulating 14.5 points off of 13 kills, once service ace and an assisted block, and he also added five digs. Gregory Ivan (Toronto) had a tremendous final set with two blocks and two kills to finish with 10 points on the afternoon (three kills, five blocks and two service aces), while setter Paul Jakubiak (Toronto) had a good day in the assists column, earning 47.
Robert Wojcik (Whitby, Ont.) led the Rams with 15.5 points on 11 kills, 3.5 blocks and once service ace.
Source: York Sports Info
Waterloo 3 @ Queen’s 1
KINGSTON, Ont. (January 11, 2014) - The Gaels were strong early, but the Waterloo Warriors battled back to win Saturday afternoon's match at the ARC 20-25, 25-23, 25-13, and 25-18 for the 3-1 victory.
In the first set, Queen's took advantage of some sloppy play by Waterloo, who made 10 attacking errors to start the match. The Warriors recovered well as the match progressed, earning the victory.
Mike Tomlinson (Stratford, Ont.) slammed down a team-high 14 kills and helped out defensively with seven digs. Ivo Dramov (Plovdiv, Bulgaria) led the Gaels defense with 11 digs, while Philippe Goyer (Ottawa) chipped in with 11 kills and seven digs.
James Evans had a game-high 20 points for Waterloo on 18 kills and two blocks.
Source: Queen's Sports Info
Toronto 0 @ Nipissing 3
It would be pretty tough to find a better start to the second half of the season compared to what the Nipissing Lakers men’s volleyball team accomplished Saturday afternoon.
The Lakers kicked off 2014 with a big win – their second of the season – defeating the University of Toronto Varsity Blues in three sets.
The Lakers earned a 25-22 win to get things started and carried the momentum into the second set where they dominated, winning 25-16 to put them in total control of the match.
In the third set, the Blues fought back forcing the Lakers to pick up their game, and that’s exactly what they did, as they found a way to earn points.
The teams went back and forth for much of the set before the Lakers jumped out to a three point lead, 23-20, before closing out the match with a 25-22 win.
The Lakers will look to build from this win and carry the momentum into tomorrow’s match against the Ryerson Rams.
Source: Nipissing Sports Info
Windsor 0 @ Western 3
LONDON, Ont. – The Western Mustangs men's volleyball team kicked off their 2014 home stand with a 3-0 win over the visiting Windsor Lancers Saturday night at Alumni Hall.
With sets with scores of 25-23, 25-14 and 25-20, the Mustangs (9-3) move into a two-way tie with York for second place in the OUA, while the struggling Lancers (4-7) sit in sixth place alongside Toronto, Guelph and Queen's.
Fighting hard for a spot in the playoffs, the Lancers led 14-11 in the first set when a fire alarm halted all play for a good twenty minutes. The stoppage seemed to have had an effect on the Lancers, and after a second warm-up for both teams before taking back to the court, the Mustangs crawled back to even the score at 17, forcing the Lancers to take a timeout. Windsor briefly took the lead once again, however Western's Sean McKay put up a couple serves that proved enough to keep his team ahead and seal the set win 25-23.
"They [Windsor] were really coming out to play and we looked flat," said head coach Jim Sage post-game. "I can't deny it," he added, "it [the stop in play] was a big break for us . You could really see us play better from that point on."
The Mustangs took the lead early in the second frame, but the Lancers continued to persevere. By the technical timeout though, the Lancers had begun to losing confidence and would only tally two more points in the set. Western went on to win the set with a convincing score of 25-14.
Up 2-0 heading into what would be the final set of the evening, Western continued to play a strong game, refusing to relinquish the lead, yet led only by two points at the technical timeout. A solo block from Phil James, late in the frame gave the team the motivation needed to wrap up the set 25-20, and the match 3-0.
Western's Garrett May led both teams offensively with 16 kills, while third-year outside hitter Justin Scapinello put up 11 kills and one serve ace for the Mustangs.
Chad Hinchey led Windsor with nine kills.
Heading into their next game on Friday, January 17, Sage further noted, "RMC is struggling a little bit, but we can't take any match lightly, and each match we play, regardless of the opposition, we want to get better on our side."
Source: Western Sports Info
Guelph 3 @ RMC 0
Sunday, January 12
Windsor 0 @ McMaster 3
The McMaster men's volleyball team wrapped up the 26th annual Marauder Weekend with a 3-0 victory over the Windsor Lancers and improved the team's record to 12-0 in the OUA.
As the top-ranked team in Canada, McMaster knows it is a target and showed the proper respect to Windsor, which is fighting for an OUA playoff berth and would have loved to upset the first-place Marauders.
Tied at 10-10 in the opening set, the Marauders moved in front 16-13 as the teams hit the technical timeout. Coming out of the break, Mac's Stephen Maar had his spinner serve working well and the Maroon margin went to 19-13, leaving the Lancers with a big deficit. McMaster closed out the set 25-18 to take the lead in the match.
The second set saw the Lancers keep pace with the Marauders, trailing 16-15 at the break and getting even at 17-17. McMaster then scored three to grab the lead 20-17 and forcing Windsor to call timeout. The Lancers were able to close to 21-19 but the Marauders seemed to answer every Windsor run and took the set 25-21 to lead the match 2-0.
Trying to avoid the sweep, the Lancers jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the third set before McMaster tied the score 5-5. Trailing 15-14, it was Marauder Jayson McCarthy who got into a serving groove and the Marauders led 19-15 when Windsor called timeout. Rallying to tie the score at 20-20, Windsor looked poised to extend the match, but McMaster stepped on the gas and ran out to a 25-21 triumph to capture the match.
It was a very solid effort by the Marauders, who served exceptionally well as a team. Maar, McCarthy and Jori Mantha were consistent with their spin serves, keeping Windsor on its heels all day.
BIG MAC player of the game recognition went to Maar, who was a scoring threat from all over the court and played excellent defense. McCarthy was also outstanding on the day and led the Marauders with 16 kills, to go along with his strong service game. The BIG MAC of the game for Windsor was Greg Simone, who had 10 points to lead the Lancers.
The Marauders now play three consecutive matches on the road and are next back in the Burridge Gym on Sunday, January 26thwhen they face Guelph at 3 p.m. as part of the annual THINK PINK effort to raise funds in support of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.
Source: McMaster Sports Info
Guelph 0 @ Queen’s 3
KINGSTON, Ont. (January 12, 2014) - The Gaels dominated a 3-0 game over the Guelph Gryphons on Sunday afternoon at the ARC, winning 25-16, 25-22, and 25-18.
The Gaels offense was extremely efficient in the win, committing just two attacking errors in the opening set and 10 in the match.
Mike Tomlinsom (Stratford, Ont.) led Queen's to victory with 14 kills, two aces, and two blocks. Aaron Nusbaum (Aurora, Ont.) also hit the ball well on Sunday, collecting 11 kills on the day. Kingston native Jamie Wright quarterbacked the Gaels offense, setting up 26 points for Queen's. Defensively, Ivo Dramov (Plovdiv, Bulgaria) handled the bulk of the digs for the Gaels with 12.
Patrick Strzalkowski was the sole Gryphon to reach the double-digit mark with 11 kills.
Queen's heads out on a two-week road trip starting at Windsor on Friday and Western on Saturday, and will return to Kingston on February 1st.
Source: Queen's Sports Info
Ryerson 3 @ Nipissing 0
One day after turning in maybe their best effort of the season, as the Nipissing Lakers earned their second win of the season, they were topped by the Ryerson Rams in straight sets.
The Lakers, who played a solid game, were unable to sustain any runs while the Rams seemed to get stronger later in each set as they went on to the 3-0 win.
It was a very competitive game, as the Rams won set one 27-25 and won the next two sets 25-22 to claim the victory.
The Lakers were coming off a 3-0 win over the Toronto Varity Blues, but couldn’t make it two in a row.
Their next action comes next weekend when they hit the road to face the Waterloo Warriors and Guelph Gryphons , the same teams they faced during the opening weekend of the season.
The Gryphons earned a 3-1 win, while the Warriors swept the Lakers 3-0. Nipissing is hoping for different results the second time around.
Source: Nipissing Sports Info
Toronto 2 @ York 3
The York University Lions men's volleyball team earned a hard-fought 3-2 victory over the visiting Toronto Varsity Blues on Sunday afternoon (Jan. 12) at the Tait McKenzie Centre.
The Lions led 2-1 in the match after a thrilling 28-26 third-set victory, but the Blues took the next one to force the deciding fifth set. The Lions made quick work of the Blues in the final frame, rattling off five straight points early to build an insurmountable lead and win the match.
The victory helped the Lions keep pace with Western and Waterloo in the tight OUA standings, as the three squads remain tied for second place in the conference with matching 9-3 records for 18 points. The loss dropped the Blues to 4-9 on the year and two points out of the sixth and final playoff spot.
Outside hitter Ray Szeto (Sutton, Ont.) was sensational in the match, putting up 25 kills and six digs to extend his scoring lead in the OUA. His average of 4.91 points per set is tops in the conference.
Four other Lions also reached double digits in scoring in the match. Alexander Duncan-Thibault (Scarborough, Ont.) and Nicolas Pirnat (Ottawa) both finished with 11.5 points, while Marko Dakic (Mississauga, Ont.) had 11, all on kills, and Gregory Ivan (Toronto) finished with 10. Duncan-Thibault had five kills and 6.5 blocks, while Pirnat had eight kills, two service aces and 1.5 blocks.
The Lions took an early lead in the first set at 5-3, but the Varsity Blues won seven of the next eight points to take a big lead they carried throughout the rest of the set to take it 25-18 and go up 1-0.
Momentum shifted quickly in the second as the Lions started the set with a 5-1 run and never looked back. The Blues got as close as 15-13 at the midpoint of the set, but the Lions stretched the lead again and cruised to the 25-15 win to level the match.
The third set was a tighter affair early, with the two squads tied 5-5 before the Lions won four straight points for a lead. They continued to hold the advantage into the technical timeout, at 16-13, but the Blues came storming back in the latter part of the set to tie it 23-23. Toronto then had three set points but could not convert any of them, and the Lions went on to win three straight points to win the set 28-26 and edge ahead 2-1 in the match.
Despite the tough loss in the third, the Blues came out flying in the fourth set and never trailed, taking it 25-19 to force the fifth.
That was as close as they would get, however, as Duncan-Thibault capped off the match with his final block to secure the triumph.
Toronto had three players reach double digits in scoring. Dave Merritt (Windsor, Ont.) led the way with 16.5 points on 14 kills, two service aces and an assisted block. Kyle Fick (Scarborough, Ont.) ended with 12 points, all on kills, and Trevor Grant (Port Perry, Ont.) had 11.5 points on seven kills, 3.5 blocks and one service ace.
The Lions will be on the road for a pair of games next weekend, beginning with a trip to Waterloo, Ont., on Friday night (Jan. 17) at 7pm to face the Warriors in a crucial game with playoff implications. They will also be in Guelph, Ont., on Saturday (Jan. 18) to face the Gryphons beginning at 8pm.
Source: York Sports Info
