The Brock Badgers’ men’s volleyball team split their weekend set against the Windsor Lancers, losing the opening game in a five-set thriller before getting revenge the following day, winning 3-1.
Game 1: L 3-2 (25-18, 23-25, 21-25, 27-25, 13-15)
The weekend opener got off to a hot start for the Badgers, as they got the first set lead early and never looked back.
Brock’s three opening points were courtesy of Windsor’s attacking errors, as the Lancers committed 10 attacking errors in the set – the most by either team in any set all weekend – leading to a 6-2 advantage before the Badgers stretched that to a 25-18 opening set win.
However, set two was a different story as the Lancers cleaned up their sloppy first set mistakes, staying neck-and-neck with the Badgers throughout the set. Windsor gained separation when Darian Koskie hit two of the Lancers’ 13 second set kills in quick succession, including one on set point, edging out the Badgers 25-23 to level the game at one set apiece.
In the third and fourth sets, kills were once again the theme as both teams hit extremely well. The Lancers hit 14 kills in the third compared to the Badgers’ 12, with each team only making five attacking errors.
Windsor pulled away with the third after going on a 5-0 run midway through the set, extending their lead from 15-14 to 20-14. The Badgers clawed back but the Lancers regained control of the set late to win 25-21 and go up 2-1.
In the fourth, Kersey Robinson smashed three straight kills – three of Brock’s 17 fourth set kills – to give the Badgers the lead, but the Lancers responded, securing six of the next seven points to go up 19-16.
Fortunately for the Badgers, the Lancers committed attacking errors on the next three points levelling the set at 19.
With the Badgers on the verge of defeat facing match point, Robinson hit his fourth kill of the set before Jacob Ferland and Grant Reddon added kills of their own to tie the set at 24.
Windsor quickly regained the lead as they forced their second match point, but a pair of Devin Cooney kills – two of his team-high 16 – swiftly erased the deficit, leading the Badgers to a dramatic 27-25 set four win to force a fifth and deciding set.
In the fifth, nerves got the best of both teams as both Brock and Windsor struggled to capitalize on attacking opportunities. The teams combined for seven attacking errors in the set, four for Brock and three for Windsor, as they both hit below .200 per cent in the set. The Badgers’ errors were extremely costly as their 12-8 lead was quickly nullified after errors gave the Lancers the advantage. Windsor maximized on Brock’s miscues leading them to the 15-13 set win to take the match 3-2.
Game 2: W 3-1 (25-22, 25-23, 18-25, 25-17)
Eager to avenge their heart-breaking loss, the Badgers, like they’ve done all season, showed their resilience through their fight and hustle right from the onset of game two.
In the first set, the Badgers had a balanced attack as five of the seven Badgers registered a kill, as Brock recorded 16 kills in the set leading to the 25-22 set victory.
In the second, the teams traded points as neither team held a lead larger than two points until the tail-end of the set, which was when the Badgers capitalized. Cooney came up clutch with two of his 16 kills in the match, one down 23-22 and one on set point, to win the set 25-23 and give the Badgers the stranglehold of the match.
However, the Lancers, who were in desperation mode, showed their own resilience in the third by winning points in bunches.
After being down early in the third set, the Lancers managed to string together four straight points to take the lead 6-3. Windsor then had another four-point stretch midway through the set allowing them to re-take the lead, 14-10, as they remained on the front foot, winning 25-18.
The Lancers carried that positive momentum into the fourth until Brock’s KJ Robinson smashed a kill with the Badgers down 11-9, which seemingly shifted the tide completely. The Badgers went on a 16-5 run to close the set, winning the fourth 25-17 and taking game two in Windsor 3-1. Next up for the Badgers (11-3) is a pair of home games next weekend against the Western Mustangs (9-3). For more information on the Brock Badgers men’s volleyball team, head to gobadgers.ca.