The Brock Badgers men’s volleyball team hosted the visiting Waterloo Warriors on Saturday, Feb. 10, at Bob Davis Gymnasium and arose victorious by a score of 3-0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-23).
Second-year outside hitter Devin Cooney led the match with 15 points off 13 kills, one service ace and one block. Fellow outside hitter KJ Robinson added eight kills of his own. To supplement the offensive masterclass, fourth-year setter Grant Reddon recorded a game-high 30 assists and added six digs on the night.
The Badgers got off to a strong start against the Warriors, as a kill from Jacob Ferland over the double block made the game 10-3, forcing an early timeout for Waterloo. The Warriors slowed down the momentum created by Brock’s early lead to bring the game close again, resulting in a Brock timeout this time. The Badgers found their spark following the stoppage on the back of two of Robinson’s five kills of the first set. With the score at 20-14 in Brock’s favour, Waterloo called a timeout, but it proved to be of little avail, as back-to-back service aces by Adam Shapcott powered the Badgers to take it 25-16.
The second proved to have much more back-and-forth action as both teams traded points early into the set. Back-to-back attack errors by Brock gave Waterloo the edge, forcing a timeout from the home side. Following the break, the Badgers came out firing, establishing their first lead of the set, but the Warriors didn’t back down either. After trading points late in the set, a double block from Brock on set point forced a Waterloo attacking error and gave the Badgers the 25-22 win.
The third set mirrored the competitive script of the second, with either team unable to find an edge for the majority of the frame. Waterloo established a two-point lead, but a kill, service ace and block from Jacob Ferland on consecutive points swung the lead in Brock’s favour and forced the visitors to call a timeout. The Warriors initially fought back into the lead, but a Badgers run to bring the game to 21-18, resulting in another Warriors’ timeout. Back-to-back service aces for Waterloo brought the game back even at 21 apiece, forcing the Badgers to call the timeout this time. With the game on the line, Cooney and Ferland stood tall with a massive double block to deny the Warriors’ attempt at a late surge, taking the third set 25-23 and the match.
Up next, the Badgers (14-5) will host the Waterloo Warriors (10-9) in a rematch on Friday, Feb. 16, at Bob Davis Gymnasium to close out the regular season. The graduating members of the men’s volleyball team will be honoured in a ceremony before the game. First serve is scheduled for 8 p.m. You can purchase your tickets at https://brocku.universitytickets.com. The game can also be seen on OUA.tv.
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