Volleyball
It’s time for the men’s and women’s varsity volleyball teams to get their due.
The men’s team, who has already guaranteed itself a place in the playoffs, is ranked an impressive eighth in the country. This weekend they braved the weather and ventured to Kitchener-Waterloo where they played their fifth five-set match of the season. The Blues left with a 3-2 victory over their hosts, the Waterloo Warriors. The Blues are 12-2 this season and show no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Eight seems to be a lucky number for U of T volleyball teams. Like their male counterparts, the women’s Varsity Blues are ranked eighth in Canada. They’ve managed to remain undefeated for most of this season, losing their first conference match to the Laurier Golden Hawks on Jan. 19. Shaking off the loss, the Blues were back on their game this weekend when they hosted McMaster this weekend and scored themselves a 3-1 victory.
Anyone who says that U of T isn’t known for its athletics clearly isn’t looking in the right place-the volleyball court. -Micayla Greschner
Fencing
The U of T fencing teams recently dominated the mat at the OUA West qualifier competition, held at McMaster this weekend. Both the men and women earned bragging rights with each team claiming the title and winning a ride to the 2004 OUA Championships, which will take place at Kingston’s RMC at the end of February.
Although an exceptional showing all around, certain Blues performances stood out. Will Buchner, Keith Yeung, Corrine Chapeskie, Laura Kraft, Christine Zia, Alison MacLachlan and Cathering Migliore all deserve special mention as they walked away from the tournament with individual medals.
The fencing teams are poised for a victory this season and will likely not disappoint. Fans, faculty, students, alumni, coaches and team members alike should keep their eyes and ears open for more good things to come from these U of T students with swords. -MG
Figure Skating
The Blues placed third in the annual Figure Skating Invitational at Varsity Arena this weekend. Despite a stunning performance by couple Laura Stoveld and Ellen Simone, it was Queen’s that came out on top overall. Stoveld and Simone’s success “didn’t come as a surprise,” says Coach Kim Graves, noting that they are “well matched [and] look wonderful as a couple on the ice.” It was a good showing for the men’s team as well. Craig Laurier finished first in the solo dance, and Allan Chung took top spot in the free skate. Varsity Blues hit the ice next on Feb. 13-14 for the OUA finals in Waterloo. -Dennis Choquette
