As they prepare to host the U SPORTS Men’s Volleyball Championship, Queen’s Men’s Volleyball starts by looking back at a great team that came before them.
The last time Nationals were hosted in Kingston in 2011-2012, the men’s volleyball team made history.
Micheal Amoroso was a starting middle blocker when the team beat the University of Alberta and became the first Queen’s Men’s Volleyball team to advance past the U SPORTS quarterfinals, and he recalls the effort the historic run required.
“We knew that out first match was going to be the biggest hurdle. At the time we had never seen an Ontario team beat a Canada West team in the first round of a national championship. That was the match that we poured a lot out for.”
The Gaels took down University of Alberta in four sets, securing the win and their legacy.
Amoroso received Player of the Game in the match-up, however he ultimately credits his success to the strength of the team behind him.
“If you look back at our numbers we had a lot of players with positive attack numbers, our reception was strong, our serving was really strong. As a middle blocker in my position if the team is playing really well then it’s a whole lot easier for you to be highlighted and to be recognized. They set the table for me.”
This historic game saw the Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC) set a capacity record, with 1,802 fans showing up to support the Gaels.
“The Queen’s fans, and campus atmosphere, and what were capable of is like nothing any other campus can recreate. It’s special at Queen’s with all the students there, with everybody on campus committed to being in the moment and being present. People commit to the campus, we do stuff together, we make connections together. The opportunity to represent the team and represent out colours on a national scale at home, there’s no comparing it and there’s no greater campus than Queen’s to have this type of tournament,” Amoroso said.
The last and most important piece driving the Gaels to a win was then-Gaels Head Coach Brenda Willis.
“We had an amazing coach in Brenda Willis who really set us up to be complete people and also elite athletes. She is such a phenomenal person who’s done so much for the program.”
Willis is a six-time Coach of the Year and received the Jean-Marie De Koninck Coaching Excellence Award in 2023. This award recognizes coaches who have made outstanding contributions to inter-university sport.
Looking to next week the current team is also equipped with a coach of the same caliber in Head Coach Gabe deGroot—he too was there during that historic run.
“The most stabilizing point of the bench from our assistant coaches was Gabe deGroot and, as the teams current head coach, not only has he been on this path before with us, but we could think of no better coach to head up this team now,” Amoroso said.
With a silver medal finish in the OUA and an 11-1 record at home, this year’s Gaels are well prepared for the U SPORT Championship weekend.
“I think this current team is one of, if not the most, talented Queen’s team we’ve ever seen. We’re already proud of them. We already know how special this group has been. We’re just excited to see them having fun on the court,” Amoroso said.
As the Gaels prepare to hit the court, Amoroso wants to send them off with the wisdom that he learned from his time on the team.
“I have three sentences for them: if you have broad shoulder and can carry a lot of pressure then keep taking more pressure off your teammates, if things don’t go really well in every moment for you then build others up and then they’ll build you up too, and swing as hard and as high as you can.”
Queen’s will welcome the best university men’s volleyball teams in the country to the ARC for the 2024 U SPORTS Men’s Volleyball Championship from Thursday, March 14 to Sunday, March 17. The Gaels will enter the U SPORTS Men’s Volleyball Championship as the No. 5 seed and open their national championship tournament against the No. 4 seed Trinity Western Spartans.
For more information and to purchase tickets for the tournament, check out the U SPORTS Men’s Volleyball Championship page.
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