February 16, 2013

CIS men's volleyball Saturday roundup

Recaps from CIS men's volleyball February 16th.

Photo credit Waterloo Athletics

Toronto	1	No. 10 Waterloo	3	Final	Box Score
OUA quarter final 2
Source: Dan Ackerman, Waterloo Sports Info WATERLOO, Ont. - 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 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 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 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 was a factor with 10 kills and added three blocks while James Evans and Zach Doherty had seven and six kills respectively. Defensively Erich Woolley had 11 digs while setter Scott Thomson 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. If you wish to attend please contact Jenny Mackay to sign up for the fan bus.
York	3	Queen's	2	Final	Box Score
OUA quarter final 3
Source: Shawn MacDonald, Queen's Sports Info KINGSTON, Ont. – 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.
No. 8 Brandon	3	No. 6 Saskatchewan	0	Final	Box Score
Canada West quarter final 3 - Game 2
Source: Nicole Betker, Saskatchewan Sports Info SASKATOON - With a 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-23) victory, the No. 8 ranked Brandon University Bobcats swept the No. 6 ranked University of Saskatchewan Huskies in a Canada West best-of-three quarter-final in Match 2 at the PAC in Saskatoon. Brandon, 2010-11 CIS silver medalists, will advance to the Canada West Men’s Volleyball Final Four next weekend hosted by the University of Alberta Golden Bears. This is the third time in five years the Bobcats will vie for the conference championship. A night earlier, Brandon won 3-2 (25-22, 18-25, 20-25, 25-19, 17-15). Tied at 10, Brandon began to brake away taking a 17-12 lead. Saskatchewan made a bid for a comeback but couldn’t gain momentum. Brandon took the set 25-21. Matching point-for-point in the second set until the Huskies took a two point lead at 16-13 capitalizing on three straight Bobcats’ attack errors. Saskatchewan had pulled ahead to a 19-14 lead, but Brandon continued to chip away pulling back to a tie at 22. A tip on a block gave Brandon the lead at 23-22. The Huskies tied the set again at 23, but Brandon took the 25-23 win on a block and a Huskies’ attack error. Brandon pulled away with a 6-3 lead in the third set after three Huskie attacks sailed long. The Huskies got back in the game at the 13th point after a 4-0 run, but Brandon took the very next point on a block. The Huskies took the lead for the first time in the set at 20-19 on a Brandon error. But three straight points on Bobcats blocks put the Bobcats back on top. The Huskies pulled within one at 23-22, but three big plays by Roy Ching gave Brandon the 25-23 win. Ching led the Bobcats to the victory with 13 kills, while Sam Tuivai had another 11. Jeremy Davies recorded a match high 11 digs. Paul Thomson led the Huskies with 13 kills, while Bryan Fraser added 11. The Canada West Final Four begins Friday. Brandon will join Trinity Western, host-Alberta and either UBC or Manitoba at the two-day championship.
No. 4 Manitoba	2	No. 7 UBC	3	Final	Box Score
Canada West quarter final 1 - Game 2
Source: Dan Elliott, UBC Sports Info VANCOUVER - When it looked like they were down and out and headed for a third and deciding game tomorrow, the UBC Thunderbirds men's volleyball team found their form and rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Manitoba in five sets and sweep their opening round playoff series 2-0. UBC improved to 5-0 on the year against Manitoba, winning 22-25, 18-25, 25-19, 25-19, 15-8 in front of a raucous crowd Saturday night at War Memorial Gym. It was a tale of two games for the Thunderbirds. In the first two sets, nothing went their way. They couldn't gain any momentum and they didn't do themselves any favours with a number of key mental errors. The Bisons were in complete control from the opening serve until midway through the third set when the 'Birds came to life. From their UBC never looked back winning three straight sets to close out the match. "The Bisons came out very aggressive and we knew we would have to weather the storm, I just didn't realize the storm would last two sets," said UBC head coach Richard Schick. "We really were flat to start, couldn't find the court at all, but fortunately we don't have a quitter in this group and the guys were able to get back in it and come away with the victory." UBC took their very first lead of the night in the third set, when Alex Russell made a block to put the Thunderbirds up 11-10. It was part of a 4-0 run for UBC. Two big kills from David Zeyha and a big block from Chris Howe closed out the set for UBC, 25-19. Momentum continued to be on the 'Birds side in the fourth set, as they kept a two point advantage through the set. Midway through Zeyha and Ben Chow came up with huge back row kills to put UBC up 15-11. Manitoba would cut the lead to three, but that is as close as they would come. Howe came up with another huge block on set point to earn the 'Birds a 25-19 win. In the fifth set, the key point saw Howe make a save at the net to keep the point alive and then Ben Chow finished it off with one of his 15 kills on the night to give UBC a 6-3 lead. Zeyha had back to back kills to get the 'Birds to match point and then Milan Nikic finished it off for the 15-8 victory to clinch the match and the best-of-3 series, 2-0. "We just had to stay patient and believe in what we were doing," said Schick. "We have been in a lot of five setters this year, so for our guys to stick with it was impressive. They started making plays, making blocks, and hitting serves. That was the difference." Zeyha and Jarrid Ireland each finished the night with a game-high 16 kills. Nikic had 48 assists to go along with 10 digs. Howe was massive at the net all night with a game high nine blocks. Dane Pischke led the Bisons with 15 kills and seven digs. The Thunderbirds will now move on to the Canada West final four next weekend in Edmonton, joining Alberta, Trinity Western, and Brandon. UBC will face Trinity Western in the semi-finals. Three of the four teams will earn a berth to the CIS National Championships in Quebec City. "We will take a day to enjoy this win and then it's back to business and start preparing for Trinity Western," said Schick.