February 3, 2014
MEN'S VOLLEYBALL ROUNDUP: Ryerson pushes Waterloo to five sets, but can't knock off the No. 7 Warriors
Friday, January 31
McMaster 3 @ RMC 0
Friday's match played true to form, as the OUA-leading McMaster Marauders comfortably sailed past the winless RMC Paladins in straight sets.
Set scores were 25-15, 25-13 and 25-16 for the CIS no. 2-ranked Marauders, who improved to 16-1 in conference play with the victory. Meanwhile, the Paladins remain without a match win on the season, and have secured just five of their 56 sets played.
Jori Mantha and Danny Demyanenko starred for the Marauders, with Mantha leading all scorers with a total of 15 points on Friday. The fourth-year outside converted on 11 of 17 hitting attempts versus just one error (58.8 per cent) and added four aces. Demyanenko also broke into double digits, making good on seven of his eight attempts and contributing two solo blocks and one ace.
On a dominant night, the Marauders hit for 33.3 per cent as a team and outscored the Paladins 58-18 in points earned.
Source: McMaster Sports Info
Saturday, February 1
Waterloo 3 @ Ryerson 2
TORONTO – The Ryerson Rams men’s volleyball team pushed the No. 7 ranked Waterloo Warriors to the brink but ultimately dropped a 3-2 (25-18, 22-25, 24-26, 25-17, 8-15) decision on Saturday afternoon at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
Zachery Doherty (Goderich, Ont.) led the Warriors with 14 kills while James Evans (Rockwood, Ont.) added nine in the victory.
The Rams came storming out of the gates and opened the match on a 5-0 run to force an early Waterloo timeout in the first set. The Warriors got to within two at 13-11 but the Rams led 16-12 at the technical timeout and then cruised to the 25-18 victory to take a 1-0 match lead.
In the second it was the Rams who fell behind early and trailed 16-13 at the technical timeout. A 6-2 run by the home squad gave them a 19-18 advantage but the lead didn’t last long and the Warriors grabbed the lead back at 21-20. Waterloo took four of the final six points to take the set 25-22 and tie the match up at one set apiece.
Ryerson led by as many as five in the third set and leading 16-11 at the technical timeout, the Rams looked like they were on their way to taking a lead in the match. However, Waterloo went on a 6-1 run to tie the set at 17-17 and from there the teams battled down the stretch.
Waterloo took a three point lead at 23-20 but a kill from Robert Wojcik (Whitby, Ont.) and a block from Jeff Ardron (Lakefield, Ont.) brought the Rams within one. The Warriors then hit two balls into the net, giving Ryerson set point at 24-23 but the Rams couldn’t close it out and Waterloo answered with the next three points to win 26-24 and take a 2-1 match lead.
Needing a win to extend the match, Ryerson came out hungry in the fourth and led by seven at the technical timeout before leading by as many as ten at 23-13. The Rams took the set 25-17 to force the fifth and deciding set.
Strong play at the net and then a service ace from Evans gave the Warriors a 4-1 lead to start the fifth set but the Rams clawed their way back and took a 7-6 lead before Waterloo went back up 8-7 at the switch. The Rams struggled from that point on, picking up just one of the next eight points as the Warriors surged ahead to take the set 15-8 and the match, 3-2.
“All our guys showed up to play and it was anybody’s game until the fifth set. The experience of (Waterloo)...they were executing the game of controlled volleyball. I thought they were much more poised,” said assistant coach Lukas Porosa following the game, although he also noted that playing in matches like these will only help the Rams in the future.
“You can’t learn that in practice, being in that atmosphere. We definitely need more of those games to feel comfortable when it’s close and the game is on the line.”
Wojcik finished with a game-high 18 kills while Lucas Coleman (Brooklin, Ont.) added 17 in the loss. Libero Milad Chitan (Richmond Hill, Ont.) recorded a team-high ten digs in four sets played.
Source: Ryerson Sports Info
Guelph 1 @ Toronto 3
Fifth-year middle Jay Tremonti notched a season-high eight blocks in leading the University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's volleyball team to a 3-1 (25-15, 25-15, 22-15, 25-18) win over the Guelph Gryphons on Saturday, February 1 at the Athletic Centre Sports Gym.
With the win, the Blues improve to 5-12 and sit tied with the Guelph Gryphons for eighth place.
Tremonti (Dryden, Ont.) added six kills and three digs to his game-high eight blocks, while rookie right side hitter William Colucci (Toronto) led all players with 13 kills, nine digs and five blocks on the day. Matthew Vares (Scarborough) tallied nine kills and three aces in the win.
Guelph's Connor Cressman and Patrick Strzalkowski each had 11 kills in the loss.
Source: Toronto Sports Info
Nipissing 3 @ Windsor 1
WINDSOR, Ont.- The Windsor Lancers men's volleyball team's playoff hopes suffered a blow on Saturday afternoon, as the upstart Nipissing Lakers notched a 3-1 (16-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-19) victory over the men at the St. Denis Centre.
The Lancers (6-11) are currently tied for the final playoff spot in the conference with the Queen's Gaels (6-11), who also lost on Saturday afternoon but hold the head-to-head tie breaker after claiming two five-set victories in the season series. The Lakers (5-12) may move from spoiler to steal a playoff spot if they can keep their current momentum going throughout their final schedule. Nipissing topped Queen's last weekend, and sit just one win back of the Gaels and Lancers heading into Sunday's match-ups.
Gabriel Burlacu led the way for the Lancers, tallying a team-best 16 kills while Greg Simone chipped in with 12 kills. Middle Adam Thompson recorded seven kills and Blase Wasser garnered a game-high 16 digs in a losing cause for the men, who hold a home record of 3-6.
Frankie Edgecombe tallied a contest-high 18 kills and worked at a .389 hitting efficiency for the Lakers. Cameron Branch added 16 kills in helping Nipissing record its third-straight victory.
With three games remaining, two of which are against teams with winning records, the Lancers will be looking to steal a victory from either the York Lions(12-4), who they play on Sunday, or Waterloo (14-3) in their season finale on the road. Their game against the Guelph Gryphons (5-12) next Saturday is a must-win, as the Gaels close out their schedule against the winless RMC Paladins (0-17), Ryerson Rams (10-7) and Toronto Varsity Blues (5-12).
Source: Windsor Sports Info
McMaster 3 @ Queen’s 1
KINGSTON, Ont. (February 1, 2014) - After the Gaels won the second set 25-22, No. 2 McMaster closed out Saturday afternoon's match at the ARC in convincing fashion, winning 25-21, 22-25, 25-20, and 25-13.
The Gaels kept it close through three sets, but committed nine attacking errors in the fourth to McMaster's two, handing the Marauders the victory.
Markus Trence (Orangeville, Ont.) and Philippe Goyer (Ottawa) led the Gaels with 10 kills apiece, and contributed six and seven digs, respectively. Ivo Dramov (Plovdiv, Bulgaria) also had seven digs for Queen's. The hitters in the middle were the most consistent and efficient for the Gaels, as Darren Edwards (Waterdown, Ont.) and Scott Brunet (Calgary) had seven kills each and just one attacking error between them.
Four McMaster players were deadlocked atop the kill-chart, as Stephen Maar, Danny Demyanenko, Brandon Koppers, and Tyson Alexander all had 10 kills each. Pawel Jedrzejewski had a game-high nine digs on the night.
Source: Queen's Sports Info
York 0 @ Western 3
LONDON, Ont. – In one of their final two home games of the regular season the Western Mustangs men's volleyball team put forth an impressive performance, defeating the York Lions 3-0 (25-23, 25-18, 25-18) on Saturday night at Alumni Hall.
This game was Western's sixth straight victory, and the team's third consecutive straight sets win, giving them a 14-3 regular season record, good for a tie with second place with the Waterloo Warriors. York now falls to 12-5 on the year, putting them four points behind Waterloo and Western,
The two sides went point for point during the first set with neither team allowing the other to move too far ahead. Despite the impressive defence displayed by the Lions' Nikola Sandic, who recorded six digs in the set, York lost to the Mustangs in the final moments when Derek Kuiack smashed two final kills to give the Mustangs a 25-23 win.
"We knew they'd battle in that first set," said Mustangs head coach Jim Sage. "We came out a little flat, but we didn't panic and I thought we played well to finish that first set. I was a little worried that they might even steal it, but we were prepared that if that happened it wasn't going to break our psyche or what our goal was, which was to win the match."
Continuing into the second set, Western jumped out to an early 5-1 lead that eventually turned into a 16-8 advantage at the technical time out. The Lions tried to close the gap in the late stages of the frame, however two straight kills from Justin Scapinello and Doug Austrom made it 25-18 for the Mustangs.
The third and final set began as another back and forth affair with the first six points split evenly between the two teams. Two kills from Scapinello and an ace from Phil Jamesgave the Mustangs an early 6-3 lead, however York rallied and the Mustangs held a slight 16-15 advantage at the technical time out. Western slowly began to pull away, and once again it would be Scapinello playing a major role, making the final kill to give Western a 25-18 set win and the straight sets victory.
Scapinello led the purple and white offence, scoring 14.5 points on 11 kills and three service aces. Trailing just behind the London native were Garrett May and Derek Kuiackwith 12.5 and 12 points respectively. It was a particularly impressive outing for May, as the OUA's third-leading scorer wasn't playing at 100%.
"It's a great tribute to him that he can still step it up while not feeling well and play that well," said Sage. "The guys all played well, we're getting smarter, we're playing as a team and we're all contributing, which is helping our success."
Source: Western Sports Info
Sunday, February 2
Waterloo 3 @ Toronto 2
Rookie right side hitter William Colucci notched a season-high 20 kills as the University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's volleyball team dropped a narrow 3-2 (22-25, 25-21, 17-25, 25-16, 12-15) match to the Waterloo Warriors on Sunday afternoon at the Athletic Centre Sports Gym.
Colucci added six digs and four blocks on the day, while veteran Jake Dysselhof had 10 kills and 10 digs in the loss. Veteran Michael Denton notched 24 assists and a team-high 11 digs, with Dave Merritt adding seven kills and five digs.
James Evans led the Warriors with 14 kills and seven digs, with Aleks Poldma registering 10 kills, five digs and two aces. Scott Thomson notched 38 assists, with Erich Woolley adding a game-high 12 digs in the win.
The Varsity Blues wrap up the 2013-14 regular season on the road next weekend as they head to Kingston, Ont., to take on the RMC Paladins (Feb. 8) and Queen's Gaels (Feb. 9).
Source: Toronto Sports Info
Nipissing 0 @ Western 3
LONDON, Ont. – Alumni was full of families today to celebrate Senior Day for the men and women's volleyball teams as the men's team said goodbye to seniors Garrett May,Luke Sim, Craig Dixon, Sean McKay, and Phil James by defeating the Nipissing in straight sets with scores of 25-15, 25-22, 25-15.
After the game, Head Coach Jim Sage spoke about his starting seniors.
"They're a great group of individuals, all-stars, all-Canadians and players of the year, rookies of the year," Sage said. "I'm really proud of them, they were such a pleasure to coach."
Western was leading 7-1 before Nipissing called a time-out to regroup, coming back to add another eight points to the scoreboard. The Lakers were very consistent with their defence, blocking shots by the net with ease and preventing the Mustangs to smash any kills. The Nipissing coach called their second time out at 21-13 to make some quick strategic decisions and after a few more points Mustang Mike Choja made a clever kill just, tipping the ball over the net to complete the set 25-15.
In the second set, Mustang Justin Scapinello made a service ace to equalize with Nipissing's at 4-4. Western advanced to take a five-point lead, before Coach Jim Sage sent inGavin Taylor who helped block Nipissing's attempt to make a kill. Despite Taylor's effort, however, Nipissing managed to tie Western at 15 all. Lucky for Western, Phil James took charge on the court helping his fellow teammates take control at the final moments of the set, finishing 25-23.
The third set saw the largest point deficit of the game with the Mustangs leading 21-9. Nippissing capitalized on a few errors made by Western to put points on the board but this wasn't enough to clinch a win and the Mustangs came out on top with a 25-15 win.
The purple and white travel to Waterloo to battle it out against the Warriors for a spot in the playoffs on Friday February, 7 at 8:00 p.m.
Source: Western Sports Info
York 2 @ Windsor 3
WINDSOR, Ont.- In a seesaw battle at the St. Denis Centre on Sunday afternoon, it was the Windsor Lancers men's volleyball team who came out victorious, keeping their playoff hopes alive and well with a five-set (25-22.22-25,8-25,25-16,15-9) triumph over the visiting York Lions.
In drastic need of a positive turn of events after being upset by Nipissing one day earlier, the Lancers were able to capitalize on some crucial Lions' errors in the final set of play to jump out in front early. They would continue to extend the lead, putting the fifth out of York's reach to improve their record to 7-11 and keep pace with the Queen's Gaels for the final playoff spot in the league.
Adam Thompson led the Lancers with 11 kills and 14.0 points on the afternoon, and Greg Simone chipped in with 10 kills. Ray Szeto led all players with 14 kills while both he and Marko Dakic notched an afternoon-high 15.0 points.
It was a tale of two teams for the Lancers and Lions on Sunday, as both played sets that were forgettable as well as ones that were dominant in the lead up to the fifth. After taking the first set in convincing fashion, the hosts lost the second and got peppered early in the third, going down 10-0 to the visitors before picking up their first points of the stanza. After dominating the set, the Lions looked prepared to continue their momentum into the fourth and close out the game. However, it was the Lancers who came out buzzing, building upon a 9-3 start throughout the set to even the match at 2-2.
Both Thompson and Simone were crucial in the game's final set. Simone tallied two consecutive kills for Windsor, giving the hosts a four-point edge. Thompson then served up an ace to double the Lancer advantage to 10-5, prompting a timeout from the Lions.
Following the break, Simone came up with a circus-like dig that looped back over the net. The action seemed to freeze York's side of the court, as the ball arched over the net and found the open court, sending the St. Denis Centre crowd into hysterics. Simone made good on another kill moments later to purther pad the spread.
The Lions did not help their own cause in response, committing offensive errors early in the set and service miscues in the latter stages. Just a couple of points after Szeto sent his second serve of the fifth set into the net, Nicolas Pirnat committed another serve error that ended the contest, handing Windsor the final set.
Graduating seniors Scott Hickman and Ryan Leknois, both of whom were honoured in a pre-game ceremony for their contribution to the men's volleyball program, added seven and five kills respectively in the victory. Andrew Chelladurai tallied 35 set assists and Shawn Reaume had a game-high 21 digs.
Looking ahead, the Lancers (7-11) will need at least one but more likely two victories next weekend at Guelph (5-12) and Waterloo (15-3) as well as some help to squeak into the playoffs. The Gaels (7-11), who hold the head-to-head tie-breaker and would advance in the event that the teams finish with identical records, take on Ryerson (10-7) and Toronto (5-13).
Windsor takes on Guelph next Friday and follows that with their final regular season game at Waterloo on Saturday. Both games take place at 8:00 p.m. respectively.
Source: Windsor Sports Info
Queen’s 3 @ RMC 0
KINGSTON, Ont. (February 2, 2014) - The Queen's Gaels defeated their cross-city rivals the RMC Paladins, 3-0 (25-20, 25-20,25-17) this Sunday evening at RMC.
The Gaels began the first set of the match strong making 19 kills while RMC came up short with nine. The second set saw the Gaels maintaining their momentum matching the first set's 19 kills with another 19.
The third set had the Paladins inching their way back into the match. They were able to decrease the scoring margin but were unable to snatch the win from the Gaels, earning the Queen's Gaels a 3-0 victory.
The Gaels were led by Aaron Nusbaum (Aurora,Ont.) who had 16 kills and 18 points, while contributing 13 digs. Philippe Goyer (Ottawa, Ont.) contributed 10 kills and Ivo Dramov (Plovdiv, Bulgaria) contributed 11 digs. For the Paladins Blake McClelland (Toronto,Ont.) led with 10 kills and Patrick Poulin (Ottawa,Ont.) had 10 digs.
The Gaels are back in action next Saturday where they face off against the Ryerson Rams. The game is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the ARC.
Source: Queen's Sports Info
Guelph 0 @ Ryerson 3
TORONTO – A dominant performance offensively guided the Ryerson Rams men’s volleyball team to a three set sweep (26-24, 26-24, 25-17) of the Guelph Gryphons on Sunday night at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
Robert Wojcik (Whitby, Ont.) led the charge for the Rams with 14 kills whileBrandon Jordan (London, Ont.) added seven kills in just two sets played.
The Rams tallied 40 kills to Guelph’s 26 in the match and Ryerson also finished with more blocks (14-9) and digs (33-28) for a well rounded performance.
Ryerson opened up a 10-6 lead early in the first set but a 5-0 Guelph run gave the visitors a 12-11 advantage. In a see-saw first set the Rams held a 16-15 edge at the technical timeout before the teams traded points down the stretch.Alex Dawson (Scarborough, Ont.) gave the Rams set point while Adam Anagnostopoulos (Waterloo, Ont.) and Uchenna Ofoha (Markham, Ont.) closed the set with a double block to give the Rams the 26-24 win.
The Rams led from start to finish in the second set, leading by as many as four on multiple occasions. Holding set point at 24-21, however, the Gryphons strung together three straight points to tie the set at 24-24. A Wojcik kill gave the Rams the advantage once again before a Guelph attack went long to give Ryerson the 26-24 win and a 2-0 lead overall.
Already leading by three at 13-10 in the third set the Rams rattled off four straight points to take a commanding 17-10 lead and they cruised from there, completing the sweep with a 25-17 third set victory.
Ryerson improves to 11-7 on the season and remain in fifth place in the OUA standings while Guelph falls to 5-13 and sit tied for eighth.
Sunday was the final home game of the regular season for the Rams and bothRobby Earl (Ottawa, Ont.) and Stefan Ristic (Belgrade, Serbia) played in their final home games for Ryerson.
The Rams will close the regular season on the road next weekend when they take on the RMC Paladins and Queen’s Gaels in Kingston.
Source: Ryerson Sports Info
McMaster 3 @ RMC 0
Friday's match played true to form, as the OUA-leading McMaster Marauders comfortably sailed past the winless RMC Paladins in straight sets.
Set scores were 25-15, 25-13 and 25-16 for the CIS no. 2-ranked Marauders, who improved to 16-1 in conference play with the victory. Meanwhile, the Paladins remain without a match win on the season, and have secured just five of their 56 sets played.
Jori Mantha and Danny Demyanenko starred for the Marauders, with Mantha leading all scorers with a total of 15 points on Friday. The fourth-year outside converted on 11 of 17 hitting attempts versus just one error (58.8 per cent) and added four aces. Demyanenko also broke into double digits, making good on seven of his eight attempts and contributing two solo blocks and one ace.
On a dominant night, the Marauders hit for 33.3 per cent as a team and outscored the Paladins 58-18 in points earned.
Source: McMaster Sports Info
Saturday, February 1
Waterloo 3 @ Ryerson 2
TORONTO – The Ryerson Rams men’s volleyball team pushed the No. 7 ranked Waterloo Warriors to the brink but ultimately dropped a 3-2 (25-18, 22-25, 24-26, 25-17, 8-15) decision on Saturday afternoon at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
Zachery Doherty (Goderich, Ont.) led the Warriors with 14 kills while James Evans (Rockwood, Ont.) added nine in the victory.
The Rams came storming out of the gates and opened the match on a 5-0 run to force an early Waterloo timeout in the first set. The Warriors got to within two at 13-11 but the Rams led 16-12 at the technical timeout and then cruised to the 25-18 victory to take a 1-0 match lead.
In the second it was the Rams who fell behind early and trailed 16-13 at the technical timeout. A 6-2 run by the home squad gave them a 19-18 advantage but the lead didn’t last long and the Warriors grabbed the lead back at 21-20. Waterloo took four of the final six points to take the set 25-22 and tie the match up at one set apiece.
Ryerson led by as many as five in the third set and leading 16-11 at the technical timeout, the Rams looked like they were on their way to taking a lead in the match. However, Waterloo went on a 6-1 run to tie the set at 17-17 and from there the teams battled down the stretch.
Waterloo took a three point lead at 23-20 but a kill from Robert Wojcik (Whitby, Ont.) and a block from Jeff Ardron (Lakefield, Ont.) brought the Rams within one. The Warriors then hit two balls into the net, giving Ryerson set point at 24-23 but the Rams couldn’t close it out and Waterloo answered with the next three points to win 26-24 and take a 2-1 match lead.
Needing a win to extend the match, Ryerson came out hungry in the fourth and led by seven at the technical timeout before leading by as many as ten at 23-13. The Rams took the set 25-17 to force the fifth and deciding set.
Strong play at the net and then a service ace from Evans gave the Warriors a 4-1 lead to start the fifth set but the Rams clawed their way back and took a 7-6 lead before Waterloo went back up 8-7 at the switch. The Rams struggled from that point on, picking up just one of the next eight points as the Warriors surged ahead to take the set 15-8 and the match, 3-2.
“All our guys showed up to play and it was anybody’s game until the fifth set. The experience of (Waterloo)...they were executing the game of controlled volleyball. I thought they were much more poised,” said assistant coach Lukas Porosa following the game, although he also noted that playing in matches like these will only help the Rams in the future.
“You can’t learn that in practice, being in that atmosphere. We definitely need more of those games to feel comfortable when it’s close and the game is on the line.”
Wojcik finished with a game-high 18 kills while Lucas Coleman (Brooklin, Ont.) added 17 in the loss. Libero Milad Chitan (Richmond Hill, Ont.) recorded a team-high ten digs in four sets played.
Source: Ryerson Sports Info
Guelph 1 @ Toronto 3
Fifth-year middle Jay Tremonti notched a season-high eight blocks in leading the University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's volleyball team to a 3-1 (25-15, 25-15, 22-15, 25-18) win over the Guelph Gryphons on Saturday, February 1 at the Athletic Centre Sports Gym.
With the win, the Blues improve to 5-12 and sit tied with the Guelph Gryphons for eighth place.
Tremonti (Dryden, Ont.) added six kills and three digs to his game-high eight blocks, while rookie right side hitter William Colucci (Toronto) led all players with 13 kills, nine digs and five blocks on the day. Matthew Vares (Scarborough) tallied nine kills and three aces in the win.
Guelph's Connor Cressman and Patrick Strzalkowski each had 11 kills in the loss.
Source: Toronto Sports Info
Nipissing 3 @ Windsor 1
WINDSOR, Ont.- The Windsor Lancers men's volleyball team's playoff hopes suffered a blow on Saturday afternoon, as the upstart Nipissing Lakers notched a 3-1 (16-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-19) victory over the men at the St. Denis Centre.
The Lancers (6-11) are currently tied for the final playoff spot in the conference with the Queen's Gaels (6-11), who also lost on Saturday afternoon but hold the head-to-head tie breaker after claiming two five-set victories in the season series. The Lakers (5-12) may move from spoiler to steal a playoff spot if they can keep their current momentum going throughout their final schedule. Nipissing topped Queen's last weekend, and sit just one win back of the Gaels and Lancers heading into Sunday's match-ups.
Gabriel Burlacu led the way for the Lancers, tallying a team-best 16 kills while Greg Simone chipped in with 12 kills. Middle Adam Thompson recorded seven kills and Blase Wasser garnered a game-high 16 digs in a losing cause for the men, who hold a home record of 3-6.
Frankie Edgecombe tallied a contest-high 18 kills and worked at a .389 hitting efficiency for the Lakers. Cameron Branch added 16 kills in helping Nipissing record its third-straight victory.
With three games remaining, two of which are against teams with winning records, the Lancers will be looking to steal a victory from either the York Lions(12-4), who they play on Sunday, or Waterloo (14-3) in their season finale on the road. Their game against the Guelph Gryphons (5-12) next Saturday is a must-win, as the Gaels close out their schedule against the winless RMC Paladins (0-17), Ryerson Rams (10-7) and Toronto Varsity Blues (5-12).
Source: Windsor Sports Info
McMaster 3 @ Queen’s 1
KINGSTON, Ont. (February 1, 2014) - After the Gaels won the second set 25-22, No. 2 McMaster closed out Saturday afternoon's match at the ARC in convincing fashion, winning 25-21, 22-25, 25-20, and 25-13.
The Gaels kept it close through three sets, but committed nine attacking errors in the fourth to McMaster's two, handing the Marauders the victory.
Markus Trence (Orangeville, Ont.) and Philippe Goyer (Ottawa) led the Gaels with 10 kills apiece, and contributed six and seven digs, respectively. Ivo Dramov (Plovdiv, Bulgaria) also had seven digs for Queen's. The hitters in the middle were the most consistent and efficient for the Gaels, as Darren Edwards (Waterdown, Ont.) and Scott Brunet (Calgary) had seven kills each and just one attacking error between them.
Four McMaster players were deadlocked atop the kill-chart, as Stephen Maar, Danny Demyanenko, Brandon Koppers, and Tyson Alexander all had 10 kills each. Pawel Jedrzejewski had a game-high nine digs on the night.
Source: Queen's Sports Info
York 0 @ Western 3
LONDON, Ont. – In one of their final two home games of the regular season the Western Mustangs men's volleyball team put forth an impressive performance, defeating the York Lions 3-0 (25-23, 25-18, 25-18) on Saturday night at Alumni Hall.
This game was Western's sixth straight victory, and the team's third consecutive straight sets win, giving them a 14-3 regular season record, good for a tie with second place with the Waterloo Warriors. York now falls to 12-5 on the year, putting them four points behind Waterloo and Western,
The two sides went point for point during the first set with neither team allowing the other to move too far ahead. Despite the impressive defence displayed by the Lions' Nikola Sandic, who recorded six digs in the set, York lost to the Mustangs in the final moments when Derek Kuiack smashed two final kills to give the Mustangs a 25-23 win.
"We knew they'd battle in that first set," said Mustangs head coach Jim Sage. "We came out a little flat, but we didn't panic and I thought we played well to finish that first set. I was a little worried that they might even steal it, but we were prepared that if that happened it wasn't going to break our psyche or what our goal was, which was to win the match."
Continuing into the second set, Western jumped out to an early 5-1 lead that eventually turned into a 16-8 advantage at the technical time out. The Lions tried to close the gap in the late stages of the frame, however two straight kills from Justin Scapinello and Doug Austrom made it 25-18 for the Mustangs.
The third and final set began as another back and forth affair with the first six points split evenly between the two teams. Two kills from Scapinello and an ace from Phil Jamesgave the Mustangs an early 6-3 lead, however York rallied and the Mustangs held a slight 16-15 advantage at the technical time out. Western slowly began to pull away, and once again it would be Scapinello playing a major role, making the final kill to give Western a 25-18 set win and the straight sets victory.
Scapinello led the purple and white offence, scoring 14.5 points on 11 kills and three service aces. Trailing just behind the London native were Garrett May and Derek Kuiackwith 12.5 and 12 points respectively. It was a particularly impressive outing for May, as the OUA's third-leading scorer wasn't playing at 100%.
"It's a great tribute to him that he can still step it up while not feeling well and play that well," said Sage. "The guys all played well, we're getting smarter, we're playing as a team and we're all contributing, which is helping our success."
Source: Western Sports Info
Sunday, February 2
Waterloo 3 @ Toronto 2
Rookie right side hitter William Colucci notched a season-high 20 kills as the University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's volleyball team dropped a narrow 3-2 (22-25, 25-21, 17-25, 25-16, 12-15) match to the Waterloo Warriors on Sunday afternoon at the Athletic Centre Sports Gym.
Colucci added six digs and four blocks on the day, while veteran Jake Dysselhof had 10 kills and 10 digs in the loss. Veteran Michael Denton notched 24 assists and a team-high 11 digs, with Dave Merritt adding seven kills and five digs.
James Evans led the Warriors with 14 kills and seven digs, with Aleks Poldma registering 10 kills, five digs and two aces. Scott Thomson notched 38 assists, with Erich Woolley adding a game-high 12 digs in the win.
The Varsity Blues wrap up the 2013-14 regular season on the road next weekend as they head to Kingston, Ont., to take on the RMC Paladins (Feb. 8) and Queen's Gaels (Feb. 9).
Source: Toronto Sports Info
Nipissing 0 @ Western 3
LONDON, Ont. – Alumni was full of families today to celebrate Senior Day for the men and women's volleyball teams as the men's team said goodbye to seniors Garrett May,Luke Sim, Craig Dixon, Sean McKay, and Phil James by defeating the Nipissing in straight sets with scores of 25-15, 25-22, 25-15.
After the game, Head Coach Jim Sage spoke about his starting seniors.
"They're a great group of individuals, all-stars, all-Canadians and players of the year, rookies of the year," Sage said. "I'm really proud of them, they were such a pleasure to coach."
Western was leading 7-1 before Nipissing called a time-out to regroup, coming back to add another eight points to the scoreboard. The Lakers were very consistent with their defence, blocking shots by the net with ease and preventing the Mustangs to smash any kills. The Nipissing coach called their second time out at 21-13 to make some quick strategic decisions and after a few more points Mustang Mike Choja made a clever kill just, tipping the ball over the net to complete the set 25-15.
In the second set, Mustang Justin Scapinello made a service ace to equalize with Nipissing's at 4-4. Western advanced to take a five-point lead, before Coach Jim Sage sent inGavin Taylor who helped block Nipissing's attempt to make a kill. Despite Taylor's effort, however, Nipissing managed to tie Western at 15 all. Lucky for Western, Phil James took charge on the court helping his fellow teammates take control at the final moments of the set, finishing 25-23.
The third set saw the largest point deficit of the game with the Mustangs leading 21-9. Nippissing capitalized on a few errors made by Western to put points on the board but this wasn't enough to clinch a win and the Mustangs came out on top with a 25-15 win.
The purple and white travel to Waterloo to battle it out against the Warriors for a spot in the playoffs on Friday February, 7 at 8:00 p.m.
Source: Western Sports Info
York 2 @ Windsor 3
WINDSOR, Ont.- In a seesaw battle at the St. Denis Centre on Sunday afternoon, it was the Windsor Lancers men's volleyball team who came out victorious, keeping their playoff hopes alive and well with a five-set (25-22.22-25,8-25,25-16,15-9) triumph over the visiting York Lions.
In drastic need of a positive turn of events after being upset by Nipissing one day earlier, the Lancers were able to capitalize on some crucial Lions' errors in the final set of play to jump out in front early. They would continue to extend the lead, putting the fifth out of York's reach to improve their record to 7-11 and keep pace with the Queen's Gaels for the final playoff spot in the league.
Adam Thompson led the Lancers with 11 kills and 14.0 points on the afternoon, and Greg Simone chipped in with 10 kills. Ray Szeto led all players with 14 kills while both he and Marko Dakic notched an afternoon-high 15.0 points.
It was a tale of two teams for the Lancers and Lions on Sunday, as both played sets that were forgettable as well as ones that were dominant in the lead up to the fifth. After taking the first set in convincing fashion, the hosts lost the second and got peppered early in the third, going down 10-0 to the visitors before picking up their first points of the stanza. After dominating the set, the Lions looked prepared to continue their momentum into the fourth and close out the game. However, it was the Lancers who came out buzzing, building upon a 9-3 start throughout the set to even the match at 2-2.
Both Thompson and Simone were crucial in the game's final set. Simone tallied two consecutive kills for Windsor, giving the hosts a four-point edge. Thompson then served up an ace to double the Lancer advantage to 10-5, prompting a timeout from the Lions.
Following the break, Simone came up with a circus-like dig that looped back over the net. The action seemed to freeze York's side of the court, as the ball arched over the net and found the open court, sending the St. Denis Centre crowd into hysterics. Simone made good on another kill moments later to purther pad the spread.
The Lions did not help their own cause in response, committing offensive errors early in the set and service miscues in the latter stages. Just a couple of points after Szeto sent his second serve of the fifth set into the net, Nicolas Pirnat committed another serve error that ended the contest, handing Windsor the final set.
Graduating seniors Scott Hickman and Ryan Leknois, both of whom were honoured in a pre-game ceremony for their contribution to the men's volleyball program, added seven and five kills respectively in the victory. Andrew Chelladurai tallied 35 set assists and Shawn Reaume had a game-high 21 digs.
Looking ahead, the Lancers (7-11) will need at least one but more likely two victories next weekend at Guelph (5-12) and Waterloo (15-3) as well as some help to squeak into the playoffs. The Gaels (7-11), who hold the head-to-head tie-breaker and would advance in the event that the teams finish with identical records, take on Ryerson (10-7) and Toronto (5-13).
Windsor takes on Guelph next Friday and follows that with their final regular season game at Waterloo on Saturday. Both games take place at 8:00 p.m. respectively.
Source: Windsor Sports Info
Queen’s 3 @ RMC 0
KINGSTON, Ont. (February 2, 2014) - The Queen's Gaels defeated their cross-city rivals the RMC Paladins, 3-0 (25-20, 25-20,25-17) this Sunday evening at RMC.
The Gaels began the first set of the match strong making 19 kills while RMC came up short with nine. The second set saw the Gaels maintaining their momentum matching the first set's 19 kills with another 19.
The third set had the Paladins inching their way back into the match. They were able to decrease the scoring margin but were unable to snatch the win from the Gaels, earning the Queen's Gaels a 3-0 victory.
The Gaels were led by Aaron Nusbaum (Aurora,Ont.) who had 16 kills and 18 points, while contributing 13 digs. Philippe Goyer (Ottawa, Ont.) contributed 10 kills and Ivo Dramov (Plovdiv, Bulgaria) contributed 11 digs. For the Paladins Blake McClelland (Toronto,Ont.) led with 10 kills and Patrick Poulin (Ottawa,Ont.) had 10 digs.
The Gaels are back in action next Saturday where they face off against the Ryerson Rams. The game is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the ARC.
Source: Queen's Sports Info
Guelph 0 @ Ryerson 3
TORONTO – A dominant performance offensively guided the Ryerson Rams men’s volleyball team to a three set sweep (26-24, 26-24, 25-17) of the Guelph Gryphons on Sunday night at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
Robert Wojcik (Whitby, Ont.) led the charge for the Rams with 14 kills whileBrandon Jordan (London, Ont.) added seven kills in just two sets played.
The Rams tallied 40 kills to Guelph’s 26 in the match and Ryerson also finished with more blocks (14-9) and digs (33-28) for a well rounded performance.
Ryerson opened up a 10-6 lead early in the first set but a 5-0 Guelph run gave the visitors a 12-11 advantage. In a see-saw first set the Rams held a 16-15 edge at the technical timeout before the teams traded points down the stretch.Alex Dawson (Scarborough, Ont.) gave the Rams set point while Adam Anagnostopoulos (Waterloo, Ont.) and Uchenna Ofoha (Markham, Ont.) closed the set with a double block to give the Rams the 26-24 win.
The Rams led from start to finish in the second set, leading by as many as four on multiple occasions. Holding set point at 24-21, however, the Gryphons strung together three straight points to tie the set at 24-24. A Wojcik kill gave the Rams the advantage once again before a Guelph attack went long to give Ryerson the 26-24 win and a 2-0 lead overall.
Already leading by three at 13-10 in the third set the Rams rattled off four straight points to take a commanding 17-10 lead and they cruised from there, completing the sweep with a 25-17 third set victory.
Ryerson improves to 11-7 on the season and remain in fifth place in the OUA standings while Guelph falls to 5-13 and sit tied for eighth.
Sunday was the final home game of the regular season for the Rams and bothRobby Earl (Ottawa, Ont.) and Stefan Ristic (Belgrade, Serbia) played in their final home games for Ryerson.
The Rams will close the regular season on the road next weekend when they take on the RMC Paladins and Queen’s Gaels in Kingston.
Source: Ryerson Sports Info
