PLAYOFF PREVIEW: OUA MEN’S VOLLEYBALL QUARTER-FINAL

The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men’s volleyball team head to Kingston, Ont., to face off against the No. 5 nationally ranked Queen’s Gaels in an OUA quarter-final match on Friday (Feb. 23) night.

U of T enter the quarter-final round after placing seventh in the OUA standings following a 13-7 (W-L) regular season. The Blues will carry momentum into the postseason having won seven of their last eight matches.However, even more confidence for the visitors will come from the series sweep Toronto holds over Queen’s this season, defeating the national contender in back-to-back matches back in mid-January. The Blues offence has proven to be overpowering this season, ranking in the OUA top five in points per set, kills per set, and No. 1 overall in assists per set, with scoring options all over the court.

Meanwhile, Queen’s finished second overall in the OUA standings with a 15-5 regular season record. The Gaels own victories over fellow nationally ranked teams in Guelph and Brock, while seeing their season best seven match win-streak come during a perfect 7-0 start to their 2023-24 campaign. Decisive in victory, Queen’s have seen nine of their 15 total wins this year come by straight sets victory. The Gaels have also proven to be proficient where it matters most registering the fewest attacking errors among all OUA playoff teams and averaging nearly a full point more than the second place team when it comes to service aces per set.

SCHEDULE
Friday, Feb. 23 | 8 p.m.
ARC – Main Gym
Live Stats
Watch

2023-24 STAT LEADERS
Toronto
Points: Hunter Arulpragasam | 311.5 points
Kills: Hunter Arulpragasam | 284 kills
Service Aces: Jayden Talsma | 14 aces
Blocks: John Dunning | 44 blocks
Assists: Michael Hickey | 401 assists
Digs: Hunter Arulpragasam | 146 digs

Queen’s
Points: Alex King | 300.0 points
Kills: Alex King | 259 kills
Service Aces:Alex King | 23 aces
Blocks: Day Westell | 36 blocks
Assists: Taylor Wenzel | 613 assists
Digs: Alex King | 129 digs

HISTORY
Last Five:
Jan. 13, 2024 | Toronto 3, Queen’s 0
Jan. 12, 2024 | Toronto 3, Queen’s 1
Nov. 6, 2022 | Queen’s 3, Toronto 0
Nov. 5, 2022 | Toronto 3, Queen’s 2
Mar. 16, 2022 | Toronto 3, Queen’s 0 (OUA Semifinal)