With a playoff date at McMaster set for Thursday, Men’s Volleyball (9-11) will have to put in one of their best efforts of the year to move on, coach Steve Chung said.
The Marauders (15-5) are the third seed in the Ontario University East division, and recently defeated U of T 3-1 Feb. 3. For the sixth-seeded Blues to be successful this time around, they will have to find a consistency in play that has eluded the young team this season.
“Without question, we will need to serve tough,” Chung said. “We will also have to be patient off the transition. McMaster blocks well, and they’ll keep the ball on our end of the court. We cannot afford to be anxious, as it will take more than one shot for us to score.”
The Marauders have no eye-catching or statistically strong players. Instead, Chung said their success comes from their talent and ability across the board.
“McMaster has a veteran squad, and because they distribute the ball well they can apply pressure when and where they need to.”
To be successful, the Blues must continue to rely heavily on their stalwarts, hitters Brendan Peel and Steven Kung. The two are both ranked among the top 10 players for points scored per game in the OUA, and Peel currently leads the nation with a 5.4 ppg.
“Brendan has been doing a fantastic job for U of T over the last two seasons,” Chung said. “He has shown tremendous maturity on and off the court.”
Kung is second on the team in points scored, and Chung said that his performance this year has been important to the team’s success.
“He has been an excellent complement to Brendan,” the coach said. “Steven has come out of his shell in a big way this season.”
But for U of T to claim victory over McMasters and face Ryerson (16-4) in the second round Friday, the Blues will need a third man to fill the void, Chung said.
“Everyone needs to step up,” he said. “We need to combine all our effort with tight, controlled play. If we can limit our team errors and compete at a level to make our opponents make mistakes and sustain it, we can win.”
In recent action, the Blues lost a 3-1 decision here against visiting Queen’s (18-2) Saturday. Ranked seventh in the nation by Canadian Interuniversity Sport, the Golden Gaels were able to withstand game-high 22-point and 17-point performances by Peel and Kung, respectively.
Losing the match by a combined eight points, the Blues were outdone by the consistently successful smash attempts by Queen’s. The Golden Gaels put up a 3.035 per cent kill rate, doubling the Blues’ 1.488. U of T has not claimed a victory since Jan. 21.
