In a battle of two nationally ranked teams, the No. 10 University of Toronto Varsity Blues men’s volleyball team fell 3-1 to the No. 6 Windsor Lancers on Friday (Nov. 15) night at the Toldo Lancer Centre in Windsor, Ont.
Set scores in the match were 25-20, 16-25, 21-25, 23-25.
The match was a hard-fought contest, with the Blues securing the first set convincingly with a showcase of their strong offensive attack. However, the Lancers turned the tide in the second set, improving their efficiency to an impressive .520 attack percentage in the frame. Momentum stayed with Windsor, overcoming a resilient Toronto defense to claim a close four-point third set and even closer two-point fourth.
Individually, fourth-year outside hitter Hunter Arulpragasam led Toronto with 14 points from 13 kills and 1 service ace. The Blues attack was also supported by 10 kills and two service aces from first-year outside hitter Iannis Toma and 11 kills and a block assist from fourth-year outside hitter Jayden Talsma. Third-year setter Michael Hickey orchestrated the offence with 41 assists, while adding two aces of his own. Defensively, third-year libero Kenneth Mann recorded a team-high nine digs, while fifth-year middle Lukas Humle contributed significantly at the net with one solo block and three block assists.
For the Windsor Lancers, Chase Bridges dominated offensively with 14 kills and three block assists for a game-high 15.5 points, while Kaden Reid and Gustavo Siqueira chipped in 11 kills each. Setter Markus Law-Heese controlled the tempo with 38 assists. Defensively, Quintin Greenridge excelled as libero, tallying 14 digs.
Despite the loss, the Varsity Blues demonstrated their potential with moments of brilliance, particularly in the first set. They’ll aim to build on this performance as they remain in Windsor to face the Lancers tomorrow (Nov. 15) afternoon at 3 p.m. The action will be streamed on oua.tv.
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