The Warriors men’s volleyball team did all they could in 2023 to push for a playoff spot but came up one win short after a heartbreaking 5-set loss to Queen’s on Saturday night at the PAC. One night earlier, the Warriors beat the Queen’s Gaels in straight sets but just ran out of gas on Saturday. The Warriors finished their season with a 9-11 record which included a run of nine wins and three losses in their final 12 matches of the season.
In Waterloo’s straight set win over Queen’s (25-20, 25-21, 25-16) got a solid performance from their rightside Liam MacArthur (Cambridge, ON/) who put away a team high 11 kills while adding four blocks and six digs. Noel Campfens (Toronto, On/) was next best with nine kills while Ben Newell (Brussels, ON/) put away six. Setting up the Warrior attack was Logan Wenzel (Salt Spring Island, BC/) who had 34 assists in the win.
On Saturday as part of Senior Night, Waterloo and Queen’s had a match full of momentum swings. Waterloo dominated the first set 25-12 before Queen’s bounced back with a dominating set of their own, winning the second 25-16. Waterloo answered in the third set winning it 25-16 before Queen’s forced a fifth, claiming the fourth by a score of 25-22. In the fifth set, it was Queen’s who jumped out to a 8-3 lead before the Warriors collected four straight points to get right back in the match. The Gaels then got six of the next nine points to take a 14-10 lead. Down but not out Waterloo cut the lead to 14-13 but after a Queen’s timeout they would put the kill away to take the match, winning the fifth 15-13.
Senior Ben Newell (Brussels, ON/) had a stellar game with 12 kills, three aces, and three blocks for 17 points. He also added eight digs. Nolan Spencer (Kitchener, ON/) was also strong in his final game as a Warrior with eight kills and four blocks while Noel Campfens (Toronto, On/) and Siraj Khanna (Surrey, BC/) each put down seven kills. Wenzel added 29 more assists giving him an impressive 653 assists on the season.
Despite not making the post-season, this Warriors team showed their resiliency in the second half and with some big time recruits coming in next season, will be right back in the mix next year.
This article is shared as part of our Fair Dealing Policy. For the original article, please visit: https://athletics.uwaterloo.ca/news/2023/2/20/mens-volleyball-warriors-come-up-just-short-in-push-for-playoff-spot.aspx
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