Halfway through the season, both Queen’s Volleyball teams have enjoyed success customary to previous programs.
Both Head Coaches Gabriel deGroot and Shanice Marcelle discussed their team’s first half success in an interview with the Journal.
Women’s Volleyball
Women’s Volleyball boasts a 11-1 record, putting them at the top of the OUA standings and ranked third in the nation.
“The girls have put on a really dominant display offensively,” Marcelle said.
When asked what the highlight of the season was so far, Marcelle pointed to their double header against the second placed Brock Badgers. After a tough loss in the first game, the Gaels bounced back to take the second leg despite losing the first set 10-25.
“That just proved to them that they can compete with a top ranked program, […] and gave them a lot of confidence moving forward,” Marcelle added.
Their start is even more impressive considering it’s the first in Marcelle’s tenure as a head coach. With a senior squad, rostering only one first year, the transition was made easier, but Marcelle still put in emphasis to get to know her players.
“One of the things that was really important for me coming in was to have conversations with each of the student athletes,” she said.
Understanding each athlete’s strengths has allowed Marcelle to create flexible lineups, adjusting to the team’s needs and opponent’s weaknesses.
“Maybe someone needs to play in a different role. I think we’ve developed that confidence in our training, that they’re really flexible as athletes,” she added. “Our expectations for the second half are the same, to really just keep the focus on ourselves and not really worry about our opponents.”
Building confidence and having conversations has allow the team to play within themselves, a characteristic that Marcelle expects to carry over to the second half.
Looking forward to playoffs, the team caries lofty expectations, but with their current pace they look to bring home the program’s first OUA championship in over a decade.
“The goals for our team this year are quite high. We do want to win an OUA championship,” Marcelle said.
Women’s Volleyball will travel to Guelph to take on the Gryphons on Jan. 17 at 6 p.m.
Men’s Volleyball
Men’s Volleyball is following closely behind with a 9-3 record, second in the OUA standing and ranked sixth in the nation.
“We’re off to a fairly good start in of our regular season record,” deGroot said.
DeGroot looked to the team’s mental fortitude when asked about the team’s highlight thus far. Having previously struggled at away games; they’ve put up a better road record recently, putting some of their road demons behind them.
“We’ve got a tougher road half this year, going to Guelph, McMaster and then finishing at Trent, but I think that’s been a highlight is our ability to manage our opponents on the road and not just play well at home,” he added.
Losing their star player, Erik Siksna, Comm ’24, the team needed to find offensive power through other players. Zig Licis, Sci ’25, has been the first to step into the role, posting 143 kills on the season.
“It’s been really positive to see Zig step into that role on the left side. He’s doing a really great job one of the top hitting efficiencies in the OUA and, if not, the country,” deGroot said.
Despite the success of the team, deGroot recognizes some of the shortcomings of their game. A key area being their inconsistency serving, though the team is able to serve hard, they often give up unforced errors at the line.
“What will set us apart or make or break us, I think is probably our serving. We’ve been inconsistent, I would say, so far this year,” he said.
However, with the OUA playoffs featuring a single elimination format, ultimately their success will depend on their ability to perform in the moments that matter the most.
“The outcome of this season is going to very much be dependent on how we perform mentally […]. It’s about just competing, regardless of the other six guys on the other side of the net,” deGroot said. “If we can focus on process over outcome from September till the playoff run starts, then I think we’re going to be in a much better place mentally to perform.”
Men’s Volleyball follows the Women’s team to play on Guelph’s turf at 8 p.m.
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