The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men’s volleyball team bested the Nipissing Lakers 3-1 (23-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-23) on Saturday night (Feb. 25) at the Goldring Centre for High-Performance Sport.
PLAYOFF PICTURE: With the win, the Blues will head to their fourth consecutive OUA semifinal where they will take on the No. 7 Windsor Lancers. The game is set for Saturday, March 4 in Windsor.
TORONTO STATS: The Blues were led by fifth-year outside hitter Mitchell Neuert. Neuert tallied 21.5 points by way of 19 kills, two services aces and an assisted block.
Fourth-year left side Evan Falardeau had 21 points in the win. The Stratford, Ont. native tallied a game-high 20 kills and added a solo block.
Second-year outside hitter Hunter Arulpragasm and third-year middle Hayden Cavendar both had 7.5 points. Arulpragasm tallied six kills, one solo block and one assisted block, while Cavendar had five kills, three assisted blocks and one service ace.
Second-year setter Davis Young had a game-high 50 assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED: Trading point-for-point throughout the first set, neither team looked to have the edge. The Lakers pulled ahead following a three-point scoring run (18-16), but a late Blues surge would tie things up 23-23. Following a Blues service error, the Lakers would capitalize on the possession, claiming the first set 25-23.
In the second set, the Blues forced Nipissing into an early timeout following a four-point scoring run (6-3). However, that lead wouldn’t last long. The Lakers battled back to tie things up 10-10, and the two teams began to trade the lead through the remainder of the set. With the Blues holding a 19-18 lead, the team opted to bring in second-year outside hitter Hunter Arulpragasm. The substitution proved to be the difference maker as the Blues battled back from a 23-22 deficit to take the second set 25-23.
Evenly matched until the final few points, the third set followed a similar trajectory as the two sets it followed. Tied 19-19, a strong offensive effort from Mitchell Neuert propelled the Blues into a 24-21 lead. Evan Falardeau would have the final say, securing a 25-21 set victory for the Blues.
With the momentum in the Blues favour, Toronto held a dominant lead midway through the fourth set (12-9). The Lakers rallied back to tie things up 20-20, but errors would be their downfall. The Blues saw out the team from North Bay 25-23 to secure the match 3-1.
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