Starting out the season with a 1-3 record heading into the weekend, the men’s volleyball team has not had the same torrid start as their women’s counterparts.
Though all of their losses have come against highly-ranked Guelph and McMaster teams (currently ranked third and first respectively) their lone win came against the winless University of Waterloo.
Facing off against an undefeated Windsor Lancers side in a weekend back-to-back would also almost certainly make getting back into the win column difficult.
The men displayed some good effort in the first set, showing that they weren’t going down without a battle. After an early seven-point run, the Badgers were able to hold onto their lead for the rest of the set, capturing the first 25-19.
The second set was equally close, though the fortunes were reversed. Brock and Windsor traded points, but Windsor eventually came out with the 25-19 victory.
Where the second had seen both teams trading individual points, the third set was all haymakers. Both sides went on lengthy scoring runs, keeping the set close. A late run helped the Lancers pull away 25-20.
After losing two sets in a row, Brock was forced into a fourth set against the top-ranked team in the OUA. This time though, the Lancers flexed their muscles and demonstrated why they had earned that rank. Brock seemed to have lost their fight in the final set, falling 25-13 and losing Friday’s match 3-1.
Setter Grant Reddon and outside hitter Devin Cooney both turned in complete efforts.
Reddon distributed 26 assists, with eight digs, five kills and two blocks, while Cooney had 11 digs, three assists, a block and an ace.
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Undeterred by –or perhaps in response to—the previous night’s lackluster finish, the Badgers came out firing in the second leg of their back-to-back.
In what had been the story of the weekend, Brock found themselves in a tight first set against the Lancers. The score staying within four for the entire set, the Badgers knotted the game late at 22. Though the Lancers collected the next three points to secure the first set, they weren’t in the clear yet.
In the second set, Brock once again tied the score at 22. This time, it would be Brock’s turn to take the set, winning 25-23.
The third set, though won 25-18, was the most spread out of the evening and Brock looked comparatively in control heading into the fourth set.
The final set was a complete battle of attrition. The score stayed within three virtually the entire time with neither side getting anything in the way of tangible separation. Finally, after trading the final six points, a block by Cooney and Jacob Ferland gave Brock the 25-23 set victory and the 3-1 win over the previously undefeated Windsor Lancers. Brock improved to 2-4 in the regular season.
There were a number of performance standouts on the night. Notably, Reddon continued to impress with a game-high 49 assists, along with 11 digs and an ace.
Kylar Code led both teams with 20 kills, while Cooney and Sauli Lianga each added 15.
The men’s volleyball team next play in Toronto in a back-to-back with the Varsity Blues. For their full schedule and results, check out gobadgers.ca.