No. 6 Lancers sweep No. 10 Blues

The No.6 ranked Windsor Lancer men’s volleyball team recently hosted the Toronto Varsity Blues this past weekend on Friday night and Saturday afternoon.
 
On Friday the Lancers defeated Toronto 3-1 (20-25, 25-16, 25-21, and 25-23) and followed up on Saturday with another victory this time coming in the form of a 3-0 (30-28, 25-23, 26-24) respectable sweep in what was their last game at the Toldo Lancer Centre in 2024.
 
WEEKEND STATS
Quintin Greenidge led the Lancers defensively in digs over the weekend with a 14-dig game-high performance on Friday and added another 12 digs to his weekend total during Saturday’s outing to provide stability for the Lancers from the back row to be able to help run their offense. 
 
With Greenidge leading the charge defensively in being able to pass up to his setter Markus Law-Heese. 
 
Law-Heese was able to earn 38 assists on Friday and capture 36 more on Saturday to run the Lancers offense and allow his teammates to generate kills from his steady setting.
 
Chase Bridges led the Lancers offensively on Friday with 14 kills while Darian Koskie contributed 11 kills on Saturday.  Koskie posted 8 blocks on the weekend while Bridges recorded 7 blocks of his own throughout the two-day tilt with the Varsity Blues.
 
FRIDAY GAME FLOW
In the first set the Varsity Blues never forfeited a lead and were able to hang on with an arm’s length margin over the Lancers to take it 25-20 and earn a 1-0 lead in the match.
 
Despite the strong start by the visitors, the hosts regrouped and were able maintain control of the second set after trading points early on.  Windsor broke open a large gap toward the midway mark of the set and continued to climb to a 25-16 second set victory and stalemate the match at one set apiece.
 
The third set started with Toronto earning the lead after trailing early to the blue and gold but service errors from both sides of the court led to a narrow cushion between both squads on the scoreboard.  Windsor then found a way to work down the stretch to eventually earn a 25-21 win and take a 2-1 set advantage in the match.
 
An eager Varsity Blues team was determined not to go down without a fight which was indeed the case throughout the fourth set which tested the tenacity of the Lancers throughout.  The blue and gold were able to battle hard against the Blues consistently during the duration of the set which ultimately led to a two-point tug-a-war to try and stave off a potential fifth set trigger.
 
The Lancers did indeed keep the Blues contained with an overturned 23-22 deficit turning into a 23-23 which became a two-point fight to the finish line which resulted in two attack errors for Toronto and allowed the Lancers to earn the win in Windsor 25-23 and take the match 3-1. 
 
SATURDAY GAME FLOW
Less than 24 hours later, the opening set proved to be another tough test for the Lancers as the Varsity Blues stayed sharp and looked to bounce back after the defeat from the night before. 
 
The set then became equalized at 22-22 before both sides exchanged opportunities to close out but that was prolonged and delayed thanks to solid plays made on both sides of the court.  With set point advantage swapped on both sides and both teams staving off the other from ending the first set, the blue and gold were able to battle and stay persistent to persevere to a 30-28 first set win to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
 
The second set was led by Toronto for the most part, but the Lancers were able to keep within close range throughout as down the stretch the blue and gold were able to swipe the lead away from the Varsity Blues and earn a 25-23 second set victory to go up 2-0 in the match.
 
In the third set, both teams would remain locked in and the Blues determined to not be swept did all they could to try and fend off the Lancers until Windsor’s squad became stalemated at 22-22 for a third consecutive set and found themselves in familiar territory to be able to close out and edge the Varsity Blues 26-24 to earn a 3-0 win in Windsor to end their final game on home court with a sweeping victory.
 
UP NEXT
The Lancers will now head up to Peterborough to take on the Trent Excalibur on Friday November 22nd at 8:00pm and Saturday November 23rd at 4:00pm for their final games of the fall semester and 2024 calendar portion of the 2024-25 season schedule. 
 
Volleyball fans can watch the action live streaming on OUA.Tv for the upcoming road action on those days.  The Lancers will not be back in action at home until the new year.