The Lancer men’s volleyball team improved to 5-0 on the season after they defeated the Toronto Metropolitan University Sunday afternoon at the Toldo Lancer Centre in three straight sets (25-18, 25-23, 28-26).
The blue and gold are in a tie for first place with the nationally ranked McMaster Marauders.
STATS
Fifth year Zach Albert led the Lancers offensively with 12 kills and 4 digs, while Luca Nastase also held his own with 8 kills and 8 digs to carry the team to another win.
Windsor dominated on all cylinders with 42 digs and 49.0 kills in comparison to the Bold’s 28 digs and 46.0 kills.
For the visitors, Jacob Walker put up a strong fight with 9 kills and 8 digs to make an impact.
GAME FLOW
The blue and gold took control of the game from the opening whistle. Albert and Nastase would set the team up well with two great kills that would keep the TMU Bold on their toes. Chase Bridges-Hunter served with power as the Bold had troubles moving in the direction they wanted. Both teams exchanged kills and blocks to put on a show for the Lancer fans. A swing by Albert on the line would close out the set 25-18 for the blue and gold and take a 1-0 lead over TMU.
In the second set, the Lancers looked to set the tone and control the set. So far this season, Albert has racked up 14 service aces with an average of 1.8 per set with Nastase not far behind with 7 service aces. Both players showed some good instinct to hold key roles towards the team’s success and put that on display. With the game tied 11-11 halfway through the set, the Lancers were determined to pull away, but the Bold would respond nicely and set up some good action for the fans. With the set score close, it would be Windsor who would fight for a 25-23 set and take a 2-0 lead.
As the third set got underway, the Lancers gained an easy first point from a service error by Taylor Wenzel. Chase Bridges-Hunter grabbed a point with a kill down the middle as the blue and gold wanted to cap off set three in a dramatic fashion. Yet the Bold proved that they would not give up easily. The Lancer bench was on their feet after Markus Law-Heese set up outside hitter Siqueira for a tip. The Bold’s Jacob Walker posed a challenge when the blue and gold scrambled for another dig but were unable to reach the ball in time. Albert’s service ace forced the Bold into one last timeout as they tried to regroup. Down 22-20, the Bold came back with four straight points to take the lead 24-22. Windsor battled back to tie the game at 24. On the fifth set point, Windsor was finally able to put the match away to claim a 28-26 set win and 3-0 matchup to extend their unbeaten streak.
UP NEXT
Windsor will head up to St. Catharine’s for a weekend doubleheader against the Brock Badgers. Game one is set for 8:00pm on Friday, November 25th.