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OUA men's volleyball mid-season review
Source: OUA Communication
HAMILTON, Ont. – The first half of the Ontario University
Athletics (OUA) men’s volleyball season has provided exciting
matchups throughout the fall and at the holiday break the
favourites are sitting atop the standings.
It has been a combination of repeat performances from big name
players and the emergence of new faces stepping up to lead their
teams through the first half and OUA breaks down the fall
performances.
Western Mustangs
Through the first nine games the Mustangs have been pretty near
perfect. Their unblemished record of 9-0 puts them atop the
standings and they swept six of those nine games, recording a loss
in just four sets thus far.
Second year player Garrett May (Scarborough, Ont.) is continuing
his successes after winning rookie of the year honours last season.
He leads the team with 102 kills. His offensively gifted teammate
Phil James (Ottawa) is second in the league in total points with
130, combining solid numbers in kills, blocks, and service aces. He
also boasts the top kill percentage at .569 which also leads the
nation.
Western has been ranked nationally each week of the season and
is proving to be among the elite in OUA action. The ‘Stangs
are half way to a perfect season, something that hasn’t been
done in OUA play in five years, and are poised to play host to the
OUA Final Four championship as the number one seed.
McMaster Marauders
The Marauders enter the break on a four game winning streak which has helped garner them a national ranking at the No. 9 position. Their record of 7-2 leaves them in second place in OUA play.
McMaster has had a solid team game through the first half and certain players have taken advantage of increased court time. Jori Mantha (Vanier, Ont.) leads the team with 72 kills while Michael Sjonnesen (Cambridge, Ont.) is third in the league with 34 total blocks and is also smart with the ball on offence as he has a kill percentage of .354. Kevin Stevens (Winnipeg, Man.) is having another productive year, putting up 75 total points so far.
Setter T.J. Sanders (London, Ont.) has run the offence
efficiently and sits fifth in the league with 276 assists. He has
also been dangerous at the service line, recording 15 aces so far
to sit second in the league.
Two-time first-team all-star Jeremy Groenveld (Welland, Ont.) has
only appeared in 14 of the team’s 33 sets and his return to
the lineup on a consistent basis would be a big boost for the
Marauders.
Windsor Lancers
Windsor boasts one of the most balanced offensive attacks in the
league as three players sit in the top five for most kills. That
offence has helped the Lancers to a 6-3 record and a tie for the
third place standing at the winter break.
Harrison Oake (Rodney, Ont.) leads the league with 130 kills and
145.5 points and has been the number one option as he also leads in
total attacks. Teammate Ryan Le (Windsor, Ont.) sits second in
kills with 115 while last year’s player of the year Kyle
Williamson (Essex, Ont.) sits fifth with 103.
The effectiveness of any offence is powered by the setter and when
your team can rack up as many kills as the Lancers have, you can
bet the setter is getting a lot of high fives. Fifth year senior
Will Alexander (Windsor, Ont.) leads the league with his 382
assists and has helped put this Windsor squad in a position for
their best finish in eight years.
The Lancers have a core group of senior players who are looking to
finish their OUA careers with a trip to the Final Four and a shot
at the championship.
Guelph Gryphons
The Gryphons went undefeated in the month of November, picking up
five wins in that span. The streak caught the attention of those
around the league and helped earn them an appearance in the
national rankings. The appearance was brief, however, as Guelph
lost their last two games before the break and dropped out of the
rankings picture. Their 6-3 record overall leaves them tied for
third in OUA play.
Third year Andrew Whitaker (Sharon, Ont.) has had a great start to
his season and he currently sits fourth in the league with 107
kills. He has also played well defensively and is second among the
Gryphons with 47 digs.
Last year’s top point getter for the Gryphs is at it again as
Winston Rosser (Whitby, Ont.) is fourth in the league for total
points with 126. Guelph has done well at the net, leading the
league as a team with 137 blocks and sophomore Marc Wilson
(Stratford, Ont.) is the top individual blocker with 39.
If Guelph can get a third player rolling as another reliable option
to Whitaker and Rosser, the Gryphons should be able to dominate
those below them in the standings and pose as a threat in the
playoffs.
Queen’s Gaels
In a year where Queen’s has been preparing to host the
national final, the Gaels struggled through the first portion of
the season. Their 5-4 record puts them in fifth position heading
into the break which should come as no surprise considering each
team they have lost to is currently ahead of the Gaels in the
standings.
Niko Rukavina (Mississauga, Ont.) leads the charge defensively as
he sits tops in the league with 108 digs and posts the best dig per
game average at 4.5 per set.
It’s been a one-man show on offence as Joren Zeeman
(Cambridge, Ont.) sits third in OUA with 109 kills. His next
closest teammate is Michael Amoroso (Toronto) who has essentially
half as many kills with 55. Amoroso has been solid on all sides of
the game though, registering 19 blocks which is best on the team
and is second in points for the Gaels with 80.
Queen’s will have to pick up their pace and take down the top
teams if they want to enter the CIS championship as the OUA
champion.
York Lions
The Lions are one of two teams tied for the sixth and final
playoff spot as teams hit the winter break. York is looking to
return to the postseason for the first time since the 2006-07
season.
The first half was a real team effort from the Lions, with several
players on their way to having solid seasons. Coach Dyba has been
able to mix in his youngest players to give them exposure and help
progress for the future.
The Lions have a strong blocking duo in Gregory Ivan (Toronto) and
Felipe Humana-Peredes (Toronto) who sit fifth and sixth in league
blocking heading into the break. Ivan also leads the team with 93.5
total points. Nikola Sandic (Etobicoke, Ont.) leads the club with
74 kills while veteran Ray Szeto (Sutton, Ont.) is right behind him
with 72.
This group of players is working well together and could very well
take the Lions to the next level.
Waterloo Warriors
So far this season it has been a pair of sophomores leading the way
for the Warriors which bodes well for their future. Waterloo sits
tied with York for the sixth position with a 4-5 record heading
into the break.
Second year Jordan Dyck (St. Catharines, Ont.) has been a force at
the net, recording 36 blocks which is good for second in OUA and
owns the best block per game average at 1.24 per set. Fellow
sophomore Fiodar Kazhamiaka (Waterloo, Ont.) has been solid on both
sides of the ball as he sits ninth in the league with 87 kills and
seventh with 62 digs.
Cam Wheelan (Barrie, Ont.) has fit in well with the Warriors in his
final year of eligibility, recording 86 kills thus far.
Waterloo has been unable to win more than two games in a row but
are coming off an upset victory over Guelph in their last match of
the fall. They are hoping to carry that momentum into some
exhibition play over the break and forward into the second half of
the season.
Toronto Varsity Blues
The Blues have a ways to go to turn in the first winning season
since 2005-06 as they sit eighth with a 2-7 record at the break.
However, with such a young team, the goal may not be based on
results but rather on improvement.
Senior Mitchell Woodside (Clyde River, P.E.I.) leads the team with
81 kills but sophomore Jake Dysselhof (Mississauga, Ont.) is right
behind him with 80. Dysselhof has been strong and is among the top
ten in the league for total points scored. Rookie setter Steven
Khuu (Lethbridge, Alta.) has taken control of the offence and has
245 assists to rank him seventh in the league.
Second year libero Michael Denton (Scarborough, Ont.) continues to
improve his play and is sitting second amongst OUA players with 88
digs.
This may not be the year for Toronto but if the Blues keep seeing
improvements like they did in the first half, they may not be far
from being a contender.
Ryerson Rams
Like their Toronto neighbours, Ryerson is a team still developing
for the future. Their 2-7 first half record ties them for eighth
place.
The program took a big step forward this fall as they defeated
second place McMaster. Unfortunately they were unable to sustain
that sort of success and have dropped their last five games.
Third year transfer Brian Batista Bettencourt (Acores, Portugal)
leads the team and is sixth in the league with 64 digs. Senior
outside hitter Luka Milosevic (Toronto) leads the team with 74
kills and 95.5 points. Freshman Alex Dawson (Scarborough, Ont.) has
matched Milosevic’s success, tallying 66 kills in the first
nine games of his career. Fellow rookie Marc Reardon (London, Ont.)
leads the team with 18 blocks.
The Rams have some core players in the system that they can build
around for the future but likely will need more time to develop
before they become front runners.
RMC Paladins
When a losing streak lasts for as long as the Paladins have been
suffering, the pressure begins to mount to break the streak.
Winless since the 2006-07 season, RMC has been unable to register a
‘W’ through the first half of this year.
Sean Vanthournout (Sackville, N.B.) has taken advantage of his 6-7
frame and sits fourth in the league with 32 blocks. Tyler Leknois
(Kingston, Ont.) has been the main target on offence, recording 70
kills. The Paladins will need some secondary scoring to get rolling
so opponents can’t focus solely on Leknois.
Setter Eric Hawn (London, Ont.) has played smart volleyball and
takes care of his defensive assignments well as he leads the team
with 37 digs.
It’s times like these where small victories can mean a lot,
and right now the Paladins would just like to win a set –
something they failed to do in the fall.
Men’s volleyball action returns to the court in January with
the best matchup coming January 8 as the Gryphons battle with
Western.
OUA SCHEDULE
January 6, 2012
8:00 pm – Toronto @ Windsor
8:00 pm – Ryerson @ Western
January 7, 2012
2:00 pm – Guelph @ Queen’s
2:00 pm – Waterloo @ RMC
3:00 pm – Ryerson @ Windsor
8:00 pm – Toronto @ Western
January 8, 2012
8:00 pm – Windsor @ Waterloo
8:00 pm – Western @ Guelph
8:00 pm – RMC @ McMaster
