The Brock Badgers’ men’s volleyball team rivetedly defeated the Nipissing Lakers twice this past weekend, picking up their ninth and tenth regular season wins to continue their impressive season.
Game 1: Win 3-0 (27-25, 25-21, 26-24)
In game one of the weekend series, Nipissing eagerly got off to a fast start earning six of the opening seven points of the match to take the early 6-1 lead in the opening set. The Lakers maintained their lead throughout the entirety of the set until the Badgers faced set point which sparked their star players to take control.
Devin Cooney smashed one of his game-high 14 kills in the game to negate Nipissing’s set point, sending the game beyond the regular 25-point threshold.
From there, the Badgers rallied three-straight points, including Sauli Lianga picking up Brock’s 17th kill of the set, to win an exciting set one 27-25.
In set two, Nipissing remained relentless as the Badgers equally matched their intensity.
Neither team had larger than a three-point lead until the Badgers went on a 6-1 run midway through the set to go up 20-14.
However, the Lakers responded, cutting the Brock lead all the way down to two, 22-20, before the Badgers regained control, winning the second set 25-21. But the third set had a different vibe for the Badgers.
The strong net play that was Brock’s strength in the first two sets was their weakness for much of the third.
The Badgers managed a dreadful .094 attacking percentage, which included six attacking errors.
Fortunately for the Badgers, the third set was also the Lakers worst attacking set of the match, as Nipissing’s attacking percentage was an abysmal .065 per cent to go along with seven attacking errors.
However, despite the blemishes in Brock’s game throughout the third set, their forte was at the forefront when it mattered most.
With the set levelled at 24, Cooney earned the Badgers’ eighth and ninth kills of the set on back-to-back points, winning the set 26-24 and sweeping the Lakers 3-0 in the match.
Game 2: Win 3-2 (25-23, 21-25, 25-21, 22-25, 15-13)
Game two of the weekend set started positively for the Badgers as momentum from Friday night’s win carried into Saturday’s matchup.
The Badgers opened the game hitting the ball extremely well, earning 14 kills in the opening set, while only committing four attack errors. Jacob Ferland led the way with four of his 11 kills in that set, helping lead the Badgers to the 25-23 first set victory.
In the second, the switch completely flipped as the Badgers found themselves in a precarious position at the glory of Nipissing’s offence.
The Lakers hit the ball exceptionally well, bolstering an attacking percentage of .294 – their highest in the match – while the Badgers’ attacking percentage of .087 was their lowest in the game, resulting in Nipissing winning set two 25-21.
The third set featured another change in momentum, this time in favour of the Badgers.
The Badgers showcased their resilience by completely ignoring the abomination that occurred in the second set. They smashed 14 kills to only three attacking errors, earning an even .500 hitting percentage.
Kylar Code and KJ Robinson each registered four kills, as the Badgers pulled within one set of another victory by winning the third set 25-21. But in line with the theme of match two, the pendulum swung in Nipissing’s direction in the fourth.
The Badgers were on the front foot early in the set looking as if they were bound for destiny, but the Lakers responded in the latter stages going on a 5-0 run to take the lead, 20-18.
The teams traded leads until the Badgers committed three errors on four points, gifting Nipissing the pivotal 25-22 win to notch the match at two set wins apiece.
In the fifth and deciding set, looking to keep pace with the OUA-leading Guelph Gryphons, the Badgers went up early and never looked back.
Brock, with the second-most kills per set in the OUA, scored nine of their 15 points in the fifth set from kills, to win the set 15-13 and win an action-packed fixture 3-2.
Next up for the Badgers is a pair of games this weekend in Windsor against the Lancers. For more information on the Brock Badgers’ men’s volleyball team, head to gobadgers.ca.