BLUES TO HOST LAKERS IN OUA QUARTER-FINAL ACTION

The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men’s volleyball team will face off against the Nipissing Lakers in an OUA quarter-final this Saturday, February 25 at Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport.
 
First serve is set for 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale now – click here to purchase! 
 
“We are happy to be hosting a quarter-final in our house,” said John Barrett, who is in his 12th season as Blues bench boss. “We know Nipissing well. They’re a good team with some very interesting elements, as well as having a difference-maker arm on the outside in Jackson Young. We are looking forward to playing in front of our fans in what is sure to be a barn burner of a match.”
 
THE STAKES: The Blues will be looking to secure a berth to their fourth consecutive OUA Final Four this weekend. The top three teams in the OUA will advance to the 2023 U SPORTS championships, March 17-19, at McMaster University.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Toronto and Nipissing faced off twice during the regular season, splitting the season series 1-1. On Feb. 10, the Blues took the first game of the back-to-back, 3-2 (25-21, 30-28, 25-27, 23-25, 15-13). The Lakers won the second game the following day, 3-1 (20-25, 25-21, 11-25, 16-25).
 
This will be the first time the two teams have faced off in the post-season.
 
The Blues finished the regular season with a 13-7 record, in third place in the OUA standings.  Their season included an eight-game win streak spanning from Nov. 10, 2022 to Jan. 15, 2023. U of T loved playing at home, holding a 9-1 record, which is second best in the OUA.
 
For a third season in a row, fourth-year left side hitter Evan Falardeau ranked top five in the OUA in kills per set. After 20 games, Falardeau finished the season second in the province in kills per set with 4.26. The Stratford, Ont. native also ranked second in the OUA in points per set with 4.8.
 
Fellow veteran outside Mitchell Neuert provided the secondary offence, averaging 2.77 kills and 3.3 points per set.
 
Fifth-year libero Daniel Tudor led the Blues defensively and ranked first in the OUA with 2.37 digs per set. Second-year standout Davis Young ranked eighth among OUA setters with 8.20 assists per set, while rookie setter Michael Hickey ranked 10th, averaging 7.91 assists per set over 13 matches.
 
One player to look out for on the Nipissing Lakers is outside hitter Jackson Young. Young ranked first in the OUA in kills per set (4.32) and points per set (5.3). He also ranked second in the province in service aces per set with 0.51.
 
The Lakers offence is controlled by setter Josh Nicholson, who ranked second in the province with 9.67 assists per set this season.