2023-24 SEASON PREVIEW: VARSITY BLUES MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Achieving great success over the last several seasons, the University of Toronto Varsity Blues men’s volleyball team will once again be a team to be reckoned with as the 2023-24 OUA season gets underway this coming weekend.

Last season the Blues captured an OUA bronze and a berth to the U SPORTS national championship, marking a third consecutive appearance for U of T at the national showcase event. During this three-year stretch, Varsity Blues men’s volleyball head coach John Barrett has led his team to a 41-9 record in regular season competition. Achieving this consistency, expectations remain the same, even with the departure of OUA Most Valuable Player and U SPORTS All-Canadian Evan Falardeau who following graduation has gone on to play professional volleyball in Italy and represent Canada at the Pan American Cup.

FROM THE COACH’S DESK
“I am very excited to start a new journey with this group. We are a mixture of younger and older talent, with a very solid team leadership core. Our expectations remain the same, do everything we can to improve daily and compete to win on game day with the passion and joy that brought us to this beautiful game.”

• John Barrett, University of Toronto Varsity Blues men’s volleyball head coach.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Key Returners: John Dunning (M), Davis Young (S), Michael Hickey (S), Jayden Talsma (OH), Hunter Arulpragasam (OH)

Key Additions: Jack Li (OH), Caleb Mahabir (M), Joshua Chapman (OH), Aiden Hilkowitz (OH), Lukas Humle (M)

LAST SEASON’S LEADERS
KILLS: Evan Falardeau | 20 MP, 349 Kills
 
ACES: Evan Falardeau | 20 MP, 25 Aces
 
BLOCKS: Hayden Cavender | 20 MP, 53 Blocks

DIGS: Daniel Tudor | 20 MP, 194 Digs
 
ASSISTS: Davis Young | 20 GP, 566 Assists

FROM THE COURT
“Entering this new year, we are thrilled to begin a new chapter for our program. Looking forward there is little doubt that every match will be both a test and an opportunity to find out who we are both as individuals and as a team. That being said, our goal remains the same.” 

• John Dunning, 4^th year, Middle

MARQUEE MATCHES
Nov 4 at McMaster
An immediate test for the Blues, this regular season opener on the road versus the back-to-back defending champion Marauders will provide a measuring stick for where Toronto sits at the start of a new season. McMaster have claimed eight of the last 10 provincial titles between 2012-2023, showcasing a nearly identical banner run to when the Blues won eight of 10 between 1994-2004.

Nov 25 vs Nipissing
Concluding a run of four straight home games at the Goldring Centre, Toronto will be looking to build momentum ahead of the winter break. The Blues have been dominant over the Lakers in recent seasons, dropping only one match over the last nine meetings with the North Bay squad since 2018. However, never short for excitement this run has also seen four of those matches go to five sets.

Jan 12/13 vs Queen’s
Marking the first home games of 2024, the Blue and White and the Tri-Colour have always matched up well throughout their history together. The exact mid-way point of the 2023-24 season, the pair will be battling for position in the standings with the back-to-back contests inside the Kimel Family Field House.

Feb 10 at TMU
The final road series of the season for the Blues, they won’t have to travel far to compete against the rival Bold. The late season match will allow either side to build momentum heading into the OUA playoffs, with the Blues holding the edge in recent history with a 9-2 advantage dating back to 2018.
 
GET YOUR TICKETS
Tickets for Varsity Blues home games can be purchased at varsityblues.ca/tickets.

All Varsity Blues home volleyball games will also be streamed live and on-demand via oua.tv.