Box Score The No. 4 Varsity Blues men’s volleyball team put up a valiant effort, dropping a 3-1 (24-26, 25-14, 25-14, 28-26) decision to the McMaster Marauders.
By winning the semifinal over the Queen’s Gaels on Wednesday, the Blues qualified for the U SPORTS championship taking place in Winnipeg, Man., from March 25-27.
TORONTO STATS: Third-year left side Evan Falardeau led all Blues hitters with 15 kills.
Mitchell Neuert, a fourth-year outside would add 12 points off of eight kills, one service ace and three solo blocks, while rookie Hunter Arulprugasm tied Neuert with eight kills.
Libero Daniel Tudor anchored the defence with 10 digs, while setter Zane Grossinger distributed 36 assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED: After trading service errors, the Blues were able to get out to a 4-1 lead off of an Evan Falardeau ace. The Marauders would battle back multiple times in the first and tie it up at 8-8 and then 13-13, before taking the lead off of a Wojtek Kraj kill. After a net touch from McMaster, the Blues took the first technical timeout with an one-point lead. Back-to-back kills from Evan Falardeau caused the Marauders to call their first timeout at 18-16. A Kraj block would tie things up at 20. Middle Jak Paterson put away a tight ball at the net to give the Blues a two-point advantage at 23-21. McMaster would wipe away the advantage and tie it at 24-24 before head coach John Barrett would call a timeout. Falardeau’s fifth kill of the set gave the Blues the first set victory, 26-24.
In the second, the Blues went down 6-3 and were forced to call an early timeout because of a Sam Cooper ace. The aces continued for McMaster as they got out to a 10-5 advantage. The Blues would try to narrow the lead but would take another timeout at 17-11 as Cooper hit his fifth service ace of the set. Toronto would drop the second set, 25-14.
The Blues opened up the third set chasing the Marauders as they would call an early timeout down 6-3 and at 11-5. The Marauders entered the technical timeout with a 16-10 lead and would not look back, taking the third set with a score of 25-14.
The Blues kept things close in the fourth, scoring four straight and causing McMaster to call a timeout at 10-9. Toronto would head to the technical timeout up 16-14 off of multiple kills from Arulpragasm. McMaster would go on a run of their own, forcing a Blues timeout at 18-17 and then again at 20-17. The Blues would push back off of a Falardeau kill and a Paterson block to narrow the lead to 23-22, causing head coach Dave Preston to call a timeout. A Cavender ace and a block from Paterson and Neuert gave the Blues a 24-23 advantage. Toronto would fight off one match point for the Marauders but the McMaster squad would eventually take the fourth set, 28-26.
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