The ARC was full of life on Thursday as it opened its doors to host the U SPORTS Men’s Volleyball Championships, and the Gaels kicked off their first game of the tournament against the Trinity Western (TWU) Spartans.
In this year’s preseason tournament, the Smola Cup, hosted by Queen’s, the Gaels beat the Spartans three sets to two.
Ahead of the game, Head Coach Gabriel deGroot told The Journal he wasn’t going to make any major changes to the way the team has played all season, seeing that their success brought them to the OUA finals.
“The big picture and the style of play stays the same, which is aggressive,” he said.
Often going point-for-point, the teams were never more than two points apart, until the score was 11-8 for TWU. The biggest contributor to the Gaels being down was their troubles serving.
When the score was 15-10 for TWU, the Gaels called a timeout, hoping to prevent further deficit.
The timeout didn’t provide the regrouping the Gaels were looking for, as the Gaels shortly found themselves down 19-12.
Deciding to try again, the Gaels took their second timeout of the set, but once again it didn’t prove to be of much help. The Gaels ended up losing the first set 25-17.
At the start of the second set, it was clear TWU was looking to close this game out in three sets. TWU was up 4-0 before Queen’s got their first point.
Quickly regaining their footing, the Gaels took their first lead of the set with a score of 6-5, forcing TWU into a timeout. The atmosphere in the ARC ignited after some dormancy.
Still, the Gaels struggled with serving, but alongside the rest of the front line, Reed Venning, ArtSci ’26, kept the Gaels in it with electric kills and blocks.
The Gaels maintained a good lead until TWU brought the score 16-15. The dominance showed by TWU in the last few plays put the Gaels down by one before they took a timeout.
The Gaels climbed their way back to a lead on an ace from Venning, and forced TWU into their second timeout of the set at a score of 20-17. The Gaels remained in the lead, however, and took the set 25-22.
After the second set win, the Gaels gained confidence at the start of the third.
The Gaels were up 5-1 early, putting TWU in a tough spot out the gate.
Zig Licis, Sci ’24, was a dominant force mid-way through the third set as his kills moved the Gaels forward.
Graduate student Libero Lhexen Rabit was also a major contributor to the Gaels maintaining a steady lead, consistently providing set-ups for his teammates.
The efforts of Licis, Rabit, and the rest of the Gaels made way for another win by a score of 25-17.
Up two sets to one against the Spartans, the Gaels only needed to win one more to continue to semi-finals.
To start the fourth set, Erik Siksna, Comm ’24, gave way to the Gaels lead off a couple kills from setter Chris Zimmerman, ArtSci ’27.
Leads alternated between teams once again, holding the score with one or two points.
Zimmerman continued imposing sets, while Siksna finished them off with the kill, but the Gaels couldn’t establish a lead.
Eventually the fourth set ended at 25-20 for TWU. At two sets to two, the winner of the next set would take the game.
The partnership between Zimmerman and Siksna started the final set on the right foot for the Gaels, who established a four-point lead early. Venning also continued to command the court, helping maintain the Gaels’ lead.
In a post-game press conference, Venning shared what has helped him find success on the court.
“Pretty much my motto is just hit the ball,” he said. “There’s not really much else to it; score points and stay aggressive throughout the game.”
TWU eventually tied the score at 12-12 and the Gaels took their first timeout of the set.
It was back-to-back points until the teams were tied at 14 points each. Each team now only needed two consecutive points to win the final set. A service error on TMU put the Gaels in the opportunity to do so.
Dax Tompkins, ArtSci ’24, completed the final point for the Gaels, casually sending the ball down the other side of the net on a block. The Gaels won the fifth set 16-14 and are headed to the semi-finals.
Siksna was awarded Queen’s MVP of the game, and despite the individual acknowledgement, the group win is what matters most to him.
“I don’t think it can even come close to the feeling of excitement from winning that quarterfinal match. It’s something Queen’s has only done once in history, so, to do it again, it’s been a long-time goal of ours,” Siksna said.
The Gaels will play their next game on March 15 against the Sherbrooke Vert et Or.
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