The U SPORTS Men’s Volleyball Championship will be taking place this weekend from March 14th to 17th in Kingston, as the country’s eight best teams will be competing for national glory.
(8) Guelph Gryphons
The Guelph Gryphons (15-5) are the eighth seed, qualifying for the tournament as the OUA Bronze Medalist after defeating the Brock Badgers in a five-set thriller.
Offensively, the Gryphons are led by left-side hitter Jonathan Pickett who tallied the third-most kills (266) and kills per set (3.75) in the OUA during the regular season, a big reason why the Gryphons rank first in the province in team kills per set (11.74).
On defence, Guelph is strong at the net, registering the most blocks (184) and blocks per set (2.48) in Ontario and will look to use their length at the net to nullify teams’ attacking opportunities and go on a Cinderella run.
(7) Laval Rouge et Or
The Laval Rouge et Or (10-6) finished as runners-up in RSEQ, losing to the Sherbrooke Vert et Or in five sets.
The Rouge et Or are a well-rounded team with numerous weapons on both offence and defence.
Nicolas Fortin leads the offence in kills with 286 – 55 more than the second-highest player in Quebec – while teammate Charles St-Aubin ranks first in RSEQ in assists (648) and assists per set (10.29).
Defensively, Jonathan Girard finished first in the league in blocks (93) as William Bergeron ranks first in digs (160) and digs per set (2.54).
These players will be relied upon as Laval looks for their first U SPORTS title since the 2013 season.
(6) UBC Thunderbirds
The UBC Thunderbirds (16-8) won the Canada West Bronze after a five-set comeback victory against the Winnipeg Wesmen.
Leading the Thunderbirds is libero Logan Greves who ranks first in the league in digs (242) and digs per set (2.55) as UBC leads Canada West in both those categories.
In net play, the Thunderbirds are second in kills per set (12.11) and will look for their strong play at the net and superb defence to lead them to their fifth National Championship in school history.
(5) Trinity Western Spartans
Last season’s national champions (16-8) are looking to win their eighth national championship and be the first team to go back-to-back since they won consecutive championships in 2016 and 2017.
The Canada West runners-up are a dominant team in the service game, registering the second-most aces in their conference this season with 180 and the most aces per set (1.91).
Henry Rempel leads Canada West in kills per set (4.23) and ranks second in kills with 398, as his experience after being a focal point of the 2023 National Championship, tallying five kills and two blocks in the title game will be invaluable as the Spartans are looking to repeat as winners.
(4) Queen’s Gaels
The Queen’s Gaels (15-5) are the OUA finalist, losing a five-set nail-biter to the McMaster Marauders in the Forsyth Cup.
Queen’s are the OUA leaders in aces (171) and aces per set (2.48) as Erik Siksna leads the province in both of those categories. The fifth-year outside hitter is also dominant at the net, ranking sixth in kills per set (3.50) and third in hitting percentage (.339) in the OUA.
The Gaels, who are hosting this year’s tournament, are looking to ace their way to their first-ever Men’s Volleyball National Championship title and there would be no better place to do it than on their home court.
(3) McMaster Marauders
The OUA Champion McMaster Marauders (16-4) also have unfinished business after losing in the semifinals of last year’s tournament to Trinity Western and being forced to settle for bronze.
The Forsyth Cup Champions are dominant in all three phases of the game: offence, defence and the service game.
The Marauders sit third in both kills (875) and kills per set (11.67) in the OUA, while ranking second in aces (122), aces per set (1.63), blocks (167) and blocks per set (2.23) during the regular season.
Outside hitter Brendan Mills is the focal point of the McMaster attack, ranking second in the province in kills (281) and kills per set (3.85) as Mills’ offensive prowess will be necessary as the Marauders seek their first title in school history.
(2) Alberta Golden Bears
The Alberta Golden Bears (18-6) won the Canada West Championship after defeating the 2023 National Champion Trinity Western Spartans in four sets.
Isaac Heslinga leads the Golden Bears attack, ranking first in the conference in hitting percentage (.380), second in kills per set (4.14) and fourth in kills (373).
On defence, Alberta is authoritative at the net, placing fourth in blocks (219) and third in blocks per set (2.43), complementing their strong net attack.
The nine-time U SPORTS Champions are also superior in the service game, tallying the fourth-most aces (153) and aces per set (1.70) as they seek their country-leading 10th Men’s Volleyball National Championship.
(1) Sherbrooke Vert et Or
The Sherbrooke Vert et Or (16-0) are the top seed in the tournament, but head to Kingston with unfinished business after losing last season’s National Championship title game to Trinity Western in a three-set sweep.
The RSEQ Champions rank first or second in Quebec in nearly every team statistical category, finishing the regular season with the highest assists per set (11.54), hitting percentage (.286) and blocks per set (2.75), while ranking second in kills per set (11.98) and aces per set (1.36) in the province.
Sherbrooke’s Julien Vanier is the centrepiece of the Vert et Or’s success, ranking fourth in hitting percentage (.329), second in aces (21), third in blocks (70) and eighth in points (149) in the RSEQ conference.
Vanier’s leadership will be vital if the Vert et Or want to finish atop the podium and win their first national title since 1975.
For more information about the U SPORTS Men’s Volleyball National Championship, head to usports.ca.