The Varsity Blues men’s volleyball team, plagued by offensive inconsistency and defensive lapses, suffered back-to-back losses to Guelph and McMaster in Ontario University Athletics (OUA) play at the Athletic Centre last weekend. The two losses stretched the slumping Blues’ winless streak to three matches-all of which have come at home.
On Saturday, the Blues faced the struggling Guelph Gryphons. A win seemed probable, as Toronto had defeated the Gryphons (6-10) on the latter’s home court several weeks ago.
The Blues (8-6) appeared to validate this assumption in the early action, taking advantage of several Guelph defensive miscues to capture the opening set, 25-19. The next set proved to be far closer: both teams matched one another point-for-point.
With the game tied at 19, a questionable line decision went against the home team, stunning the Blues and much of the crowd. The re-energized Gryphons, capitalizing on the sudden change of momentum, mounted a late surge to win the set, 25-22.
The Blues appeared deflated by the dropped set and became increasingly frustrated as the match wore on. Consequently Guelph-assisted by a multitude of U of T errors-easily took the third and fourth sets for an unexpected 3-1 triumph.
The uninspired Saturday effort from Toronto was not repeated against the McMaster Marauders (11-4) on Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately, the squad still came up just short in their search for a weekend split-losing a heartbreaking contest to the powerful Marauders.
As was the case with Guelph, the Blues were impressive early, surprising the taller Marauders to quickly win the first set, 25-21. The next set proved to be a titanic struggle that delighted onlookers.
The thrilling second stanza finally went to the Marauders after consecutive defensive breakdowns by Toronto, leading to a 29-27 defeat. However, the team displayed an impressive ability to regroup and roared back to win the third set in convincing fashion, 25-20.
This strong play continued into the fourth set, allowing the Blues to race out to a quick lead. A victory seemed all but assured. However, as if sensing the significance attached to a win against a strong divisional foe, the Blues suddenly tightened up and struggled to find consistency on the court. The Marauders were thus able to force a fifth and deciding set after a come-from-behind 25-23 victory.
As with the previous day, the sudden shift in momentum demoralized the Blues. The final set proved to be anti-climactic. The inspired McMaster team prevailed by a one-sided 15-9 score.
A bright spot for the Blues was the play of Brandon Peel. Peel-ranked third nationally in kills-had 37 hot smashes over the weekend. This brings his season total to an astounding 229 kills in 54 sets played.
Peel’s next opportunity to add to his impressive numbers will come next weekend, as the Blues welcome Queen’s and RMC to Toronto to continue their homestand.
