Men’s Volleyball defeats Brock with 31 service aces in two games
Queen’s Men’s Volleyball faced off against the Brock Badgers in their double header weekend—emerging victorious both times.
The Gaels took Saturday’s game in four sets, and Sunday’s game ended in three.
On Nov. 18 the Badgers took an early lead in the first set. Off-target hits and missed serves resulted in the Gaels trailing 20-12. Despite the team picking up momentum towards the end of the first set, they were unable to catch up and fell to the Badgers 25-16. This was the only set they dropped all weekend.
“At times it’s tough when we’re missing serves at the beginning of games, but if we just stay the course, it works out,” setter Chris Zimmerman, ArtSci ’26, said in a post-game interview with The Journal.
It did work out; the Gaels went on to bag 17 aces in their Saturday evening matchup.
Queen’s dominated the second and third sets, going on serving runs and finding kills from all over the court. They took the second set 25-16 and the third set 25-20.
The fourth set went back and forth, with the Gaels putting up a strong defensive effort. Neither team developed a decisive lead until Queen’s pulled ahead late in the match, aided by kills from Erik Siksna, Comm ’24, and Zig Licis, Sci ’24. They snagged the set and won 25-18.
The team’s positive dynamic shone through in their gameplay.
“Our team culture is so important. The way that we work together as a group dictates how we play together on the court,” Zimmerman said. “We’re one hundred per cent dedicated to our team. We hang out all the time. We have each other’s backs no matter what.”
During Sunday’s game, the Gaels had the Badgers numbered.
Queen’s led the entire first set and finished it 25-21. They kept the momentum going through the second and third sets, and winning 25-18 and 25-21 respectively.
During both games, the Gaels displayed stellar serves. They amassed 31 service aces over the course of both games, with standout performances from Sikna, Licis, Reed Venning, ArtSci ’26, and Dax Tompkins, ArtSci ’24.
“We served the ball really hard. It’s been our philosophy for the last two months just to serve as hard as we can and we’ll break the game eventually,” Head Coach Gabe DeGroot said. “Everyone else is trying to put the ball over the net and play continuation volleyball and we’re trying to end points as soon as possible and we’re aggressive in that.”
Their philosophy has paid off—the Gaels lead the OUA in service aces, much improved from last year, where they led in service errors.
With their two wins, the Gaels remain undefeated in the regular season, with a record of 6-0.
Woman’s Volleyball finds victory over Brock for the first time in six years
Queen’s Women’s Volleyball team, ranked third nationally by U SPORTS, faced off against the second ranked Brock Badgers in their games this weekend. The rematch of last year’s OUA final saw the teams splitting the double-header. Brock walked away with the victory on Saturday Nov. 18 and the Gaels pulled off a win on Sunday Nov. 19.
On Saturday, the Gaels fell in three sets. The Badgers dominated and Queen’s had difficulty running their offense.
“We were a little bit tight,” Head Coach Ryan Ratushniak said in a post-game interview with The Journal. “It’s tough to play against a good team like Brock when we can’t play free and swing freely.”
They dropped the first set 25-16.
In the second and third set the Gaels fought back, putting up a big defence presence at the net, with blocks from Amanda Sikna, ConEd ’25, and Lauren Mellon, ArtSci ’24. Even with these efforts the Gaels were unable to change the tide and lost the second set 25-19 and the third 25-17.
The Gaels came back with new life in Sunday’s matchup. They took the Badgers to five sets, with an easy win in the fifth.
Queen’s trailed through the beginning of the first before they found their groove and closed the point deficit. Despite a good performance, Sunday looked like it may repeat Saturday as the Gaels lost 25-21.
Queen’s, however, didn’t want a repeat. They dominated the second and pushed an early 13-2 lead. The Badgers clawed back, but couldn’t rattle the Gaels, who finished the set 25-20 in their favour.
The third set was a marathon, with both teams going point-for-point, until Brock pulled ahead, aided by attack errors from the Gaels. Brock took the set 25-17.
The Gaels refocused in the fourth, bagging a 25-18 victory. They paired their defence at the net from the day before with a killer offence—the team nabbed 62 kills, more than double that of Saturday.
Standout player Hannah Duchesneau, ArtSci ’24, finished the game with an impressive 26 kills, and currently leads the OUA in total kills.
“We capitalized on our team’s strengths. Shoutout to our setter; she ran such great offence today with all of us. It’s so hard to know who’s going to get set when you have five amazing hitters coming at you from every angle. Shea [Baker, ArtSci ’24] really utilized us today,” Duchesneau said.
They continued their momentum into the fifth set and crushed the Badgers 15-11.
This is the first time the Gaels have defeated the Badgers since 2017.
Considering last year’s Quigly Cup match, this win marked a significant victory for the Gaels.
“Last year we faced Brock in the finals, and we almost beat them there too. I think it’s awesome to show Queen’s what Queen’s Women’s Volleyball is, especially against people that we met up against in the final last year. It’s nice to be able to claim our home court,” Duchesneau said.
Queen’s volleyball continues their seasons in Windsor on Dec. 1, when they face off against the Lancers. The games are available to stream on oua.tv.
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