Queen’s Women’s and Men’s Volleyball are back on the court this weekend to kick off the second half of the 2021-22 OUA season. The Gaels will take on the Trent Excalibur Friday night in Peterborough, Ont. before traveling to Toronto, Ont. to face the Toronto Varsity Blues.
The start of the second half of the 2021-22 OUA volleyball seasons had been delayed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Queen’s Women’s Volleyball
The Gaels (3-1) will see their first action since late November when they visit Trent Friday at 5:30 p.m. before closing out the weekend Sunday at 2 p.m. against Toronto. Queen’s sits fourth in the OUA East standings heading into this weekend’s games, two points ahead of the Excalibur (2-4) and two points behind the Varsity Blues (4-0).
“Our Women’s Volleyball team has worked very hard during the recent lockdown and we have done some great things in practice the last week to help us prepare for the remainder of our season,” said Queen’s Women’s Volleyball Head Coach Ryan Ratushniak. “Everyone is working very hard and supporting each other each day in an effort to be our best as we head into competition. We are very grateful to be training again and competing again soon!”
The Gaels will face Trent for the first time this season on Friday before looking to rebound from their lone loss of the year against the Varsity Blues on Sunday. After opening the season with back-to-back wins over the Rams, Queen’s fell 3-0 to Toronto on Nov. 13. The Gaels closed out the first half of the regular season with a win over the RMC Paladins before the extended break.
By the Numbers
.408 – Lauren Mellon is second in the OUA in hitting percentage at .408, one of only two players with a percentage above .400.
35 – Arielle Palermo leads the Gaels with 35 kills on the season (2.69 kills/set). Mary Stewart leads the team with an average of 2.70 kills/set.
30 – Vivian Zanutel’s 30 digs lead the team through their first four games of the season.
Queen’s Men’s Volleyball
The Gaels (4-0, No. 5 in U SPORTS Top 10) will look to remain undefeated when they face the Excalibur Friday at 8 p.m. and the Varsity Blues Sunday at 4 p.m. Friday’s meeting will be Queen’s first against Trent this season while Sunday will be a rematch of a 3-0 win over Toronto on Nov. 13. The games will be the Gaels’ first since late November.
“We are extremely excited and grateful for the opportunity to once again train and compete,” said Queen’s Men’s Volleyball Head Coach Gabriel deGroot. “The team has stayed focused and dedicated on their physical preparation throughout January which has now allowed us to hit the ground running in great physical shape. We knew all along that this season would be one where our resiliency would be tested and we would need to show our ability to adapt quickly. I can’t wait to see what this team can accomplish over the next two months as we prepare for playoffs and another run at a U SPORTS championship tournament.”
The Gaels have only dropped one set so far this season. The team opened the season with back-to-back wins over the Rams, winning 3-0 and 3-1 before their straight sets win over Toronto. Queen’s closed out the first half of the regular season with a 3-0 win over the Paladins.
The Gaels are currently second in the OUA East with a 4-0 record, four points behind the Nipissing Lakers (6-0).
By the Numbers
2.75 – Lukas Kaufman leads the OUA averaging 2.75 digs/set. Erik Siksna is second on the Gaels and tied for third in the OUA averaging 2.00 digs/set.
1.15 – Lachlan McBride is averaging 1.15 blocks/set, good for third in the conference. Cole Duncanson and Julian Krygel are second on the team and tied for fourth in the OUA averaging 1.00 blocks/set.
42 – McBride also leads the team in kills, with 42 on the season (3.23 kills/set).