The Badgers’ men’s volleyball team began their 2023-24 regular season schedule this past weekend with back-to-back wins on the road against the York Lions.
Brock got off to a rapid start in game one of the weekend series on Saturday afternoon, as they controlled many of the points in the opening set leading to 18 kills, the most kills by either team in any set in this match. The Badgers’ attacking percentage in the first set was miles better than York’s – .667 per cent compared to .056 per cent – leading to a comfortable 25-13 win.
However, the second set was far from comfortable for the Badgers.
A back-and-forth set saw both teams exchanging points, as neither team had a lead larger than two-points throughout the duration of the set. As such, the set went beyond 25 – given that a team must win by two points to win the set – as the Lions did just that by a narrow 28-26 margin.
Fortunately, the Badgers responded in the third.
Devon Cooney and Kylar Code – two of the Badgers’ more skillful outside hitters – combined for five of Brock’s eight kills in the set, setting the tone early. The duo led the way for the Badgers throughout the game with 14 and 13 kills respectively, leading Brock in that category. Their contributions in the set earned the Badgers the 25-18 win to go up two sets to one with the opportunity to close it out in the fourth.
With the Lions on the brink of defeat, they were hungry to force a decisive fifth set. York had 12 kills in the set, the most they had in any set in the match, but sloppiness by both teams – nine attack errors apiece – gave their opponent life and opportunities to claim the set. The Badgers had two separate match point opportunities but could not convert on either, ultimately losing the lengthy set 31-29, setting up an intense fifth and final set.
In the fifth, the Badgers were meticulous with the ball, registering six kills and only one attacking error while the Lions were sloppy, attaining six kills and six attack errors. York’s carelessness handed the Badgers the 15-10 fifth set victory to win the season opener in a five-set thriller.
The thrill from winning the opening match of the season carried into Brock’s second game on Nov. 5th, also against York.
Just like the previous day, the Badgers were hot early, looking to take control and ridicule the Lions. 11 of Brock’s 25 points in the set came from kills, while an additional seven were from York attack errors, four of which were committed by Dennis Cota. The mix of Badger offensive domination and careless volleyball by the Lions gave Brock the 25-19 first set win.
The second set was much tighter as the Badgers became infected with the lackadaisical play that York portrayed in the first set.
Brock had five attacking errors in the set, leading to a low attacking percentage of .154 per cent. Conversely, the Lions had their best set statistically, registering their highest attacking percentage in the game at .214 per cent, with 10 kills and four attack errors on 28 total attempts.
However, Brock, given their winning pedigree, still managed to escape the set with a win by a narrow 25-23 edge.
In the third set, poor play was evident on both sides of the net. Both teams had six attack errors in the set which contributed to York and Brock’s attacking percentage being below .160 per cent in the set. The Badgers’ star of the game Jacob Ferland kept Brock within contention for the set, smashing three of his game-high 11 kills in the set, but despite Ferland’s contributions, York managed to pull away with the 26-24 victory and get momentum at home.
But the Lions’ momentum was short-lived. The Badgers played the fourth set exceptionally well, playing some of the best volleyball they played all weekend. Ferland was once again a key contributor, getting two crucial aces – which was second on the team behind only libero Adam Shapcott who had three – while also scoring a team-high 15 points in the match. The Badgers earned the 25-17 fourth set win to pick up their second straight win to close the opening weekend undefeated with a 2-0 record.
Next up for the Badgers is their opening games at home, the Bob Davis Gymnasium, next weekend on Nov. 10th and 11th against Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson). For more information on the Badgers’ men’s volleyball team, head to gobadgers.ca.