KINGSTON, Ont. (Jan. 27, 2023) – Queen’s Men’s Volleyball took down the Nipissing Lakers 3-1 (25-17, 18-25, 25-22, 25-19) Saturday at the Athletics and Recreation Centre.
Nipissing started the first set strong with two straight points, but Queen’s stepped up to tie the score 3-3 with a powerful serve from Dax Thompkins. They proceeded to get ahead to an eight-point lead, with the help of some stealthy kills by Derek Chiang. The Lakers applied pressure, but they were no match for Queen’s, as the Gaels took the set with confidence at a score of 25-17.
In the second set, the Lakers brought their A-game, managing to get up to a five-point lead and forcing Queen’s into a timeout. Unfortunately, while the Gaels put up a good fight with strong defensive efforts, Nipissing maintained their lead throughout the set. Cole Duncanson attempted to shut the Lakers down with impressive blocks, but in the end the Gaels fell short and lost the set 18-25.
Nipissing opened the third set with confidence establishing an early lead, but Queen’s was able to tie it up 13-13. It was a back-and-forth battle for a while, before the Gaels tore away for the lead, thanks to three back-to-back aces by Reed Venning. With the crowd behind them, Queen’s continued to push forward and won the set by three points.
At the start of the fourth set, both teams were matching each other point by point until the Gaels generated consistent offense, building a solid lead and ultimately taking the set 25-19.
Erik Siksna recorded 12 kills and six digs. Chris Ziimmerman added 38 assists. Venning recorded a total of five aces.
After the game, Venning stated, “being a first year, if I get put in it, I have to do my job.” Venning said that working with Head Coach Gabe DeGroot has helped him improve his serving approach and get him to where he’s at today.
With the win, the Gaels improved their record to 8-6.
The Gaels are back at the ARC Feb. 3 at 8 p.m. as they take on the Western Mustangs.