Kingston, ON – Nipissing Men's Volleyball split their weekend series against the Queen's Gaels, who are ranked 5th nationally, winning Friday night but losing Saturday.
Friday, November 14, the Lakers found themselves down 2 sets to none after losing the first 25-19 and losing a close battle in the second, 25-23. What happened in the next three sets was truly remarkable.
The third set was particularly back and forth, with neither team leading by more than 4 points at any time. Nipissing took an 11-7 lead off a Ben Carr service error, but Queen's battled back to tie the game at 12. Nipissing took an 18-15 lead, but Queen's caught up at 21-21. The Lakers won 2 points on a Queen's service error, and a Ben Franz kill to lead 24-22. Queen's tied the game at 24, before a Taydon Shantz kill gave Nipissing a 25-24 lead. Queen's again tied the game at 25, before Mark Marchand provided a kill and Queen's Reed Venning committed an attack error, giving Nipissing a 27-25 win. Back in the match.
Nipissing looked to build momentum off the third set. However, Queen's was determined to get the job done and quickly took a 7-4 lead. Zander Kasunich provided a key kill to stifle the Gaels' attack, but Queen's was relentless, and up 11-7. The Lakers dug deep and went on a 5-point run to take the lead at 14-13. Ben Franz had 3 kills, Taydon Shantz provided another, and Zander Kasunich served an ace, forcing a timeout from Queen's. Queen's found their footing, and before long the match was 20-19 for the Lakers. Another kill from Ben Franz gave the Lakers a 22-19 lead. Nipissing wouldn't look back, winning 25-21 and tying the match at 2 sets apiece.
The fifth and deciding set featured the same back and forth trading of points that the entire match possessed. Queen's lead 6-4, their largest lead of the fifth. 2 kills from Marc Marchand tied the match at 7. Nipissing led 12-11 off a Jack Svendsen kill, before Queen's took a 13-12 lead from a Ben Carr kill.
Nikola Mitrovic of Queen's committed a service error, tying the set at 13. Ben Carr of Queen's committed an attack error, giving Nipissing a 14-13 lead. Ready to send the Lakers home happy, Ben Franz loaded up a booming service ace that ended the set 15-13 for Nipissing.
The Lakers completed the reverse sweep in impressive fashion. Queen's was determined to fight until the very end of the contest. The Gaels are also ranked as high as 5th in the national men's volleyball rankings, making this an important and impressive win for the Lakers.
Saturday, November 15, the Lakers looked to capitalize off their huge performance the night prior.
Queen's again got out to a fast start, taking the first set 25-17.
The second set was another close battle. The Lakers jumped out to a 4-0 lead before Queen's found their footing, cutting Nipissing's lead to 6-4. 3 straight points gave Queen's a 9-8 lead, before the Lakers managed 2 in a row to lead 10-9. The Lakers then scored 3 in a row, leading 13-10.
Queen's tied the set at 15, and this pattern would continue until Nipissing went on a run to lead 23-20. Kills by Justice Smith and Taydon Shantz proved helpful in giving the Lakers a lead late in the set. Queen's won the next 3 points and had a chance to end the match before Reed Venning's service error tied the score at 24 apiece. Queen's won the next 2 points, and took the set 26-24.
The Lakers, again with their backs to the wall, found another gear in the third set, and lead 16-13 at the halfway point of the set. Kills by Zander Kasunich and Ben Franz gave the Lakers two key points down the stretch. Queen's chipped away, and the score was 20-18. Nipissing then won 5 of the last 6 points in the match to take the 3rd 25-19, impressively closing out the set and getting back in the match.
The fourth set began similarly to previous sets, as Queen's lead 9-7. Nipissing then won 6 of the next 7 points, leading 13 to 10. Three more points gave Nipissing a 16-10 lead. Queen's tried to chip away, grabbing a few points, but the Lakers lead proved too mighty, and Nipissing tied the match at 2 sets apiece, winning 3 of the last 4 points to take it 25-19.
For the second time in as many days, Nipissing battled back from a 2-0 set deficit to force a fifth set. The Lakers kept the momentum rolling, starting 4-0 in the fifth. Queen's rallied, and the score was 10-10 before long. Kills from Reed Venning, Everett Smith, and Nikola Mitrovic proved to be the difference, as the Gaels controlled the set from 11-11 to a 15-12 win. Justice Smith provided a kill to stop the Queen's momentum and give the Lakers a 12th point, but Reed Venning ended the match on the next point.
For Nipissing, this weekend was extremely impressive, as the team battled back from 2-0 deficits in both games. Leaving Kingston 1-1 in that fashion is a big indicator of the team's resiliency and fight.
This weekend's results moves the Lakers to 3-3 on the season. Men's Volleyball is back in action this coming weekend, November 21-22, with two games on the road at the University of Toronto. Friday's match is slated for 5:30PM, and Saturday's will go at 2PM.
#GoLakers
