It's down to just four teams, as the men's volleyball championship is up for grabs this weekend in familiar territory. The championship-hopeful teams will head to McMaster University to once again compete to take home the Forsyth Cup.
The host McMaster Marauders will be looking to run their streak to six straight OUA titles when they take to the Burridge Gym court this weekend but the Queen's Gaels, Ryerson Rams and Windsor Lancers hope to put a stop to the streak.
For the Gaels to continue their success, something they have done quite well over the years with four titles in the last 12 seasons, they will hope that Rookie of the Year Zane Grossinger (Richmond Hill, Ont.) can continue to outdo his outstanding regular season efforts. In his first taste of the playoffs, Grossinger eclipsed his per set mark in assists by five, en route to a career-high tying 56 for the match. The Gaels offence rode the high-flying play of their setter to a 3-1 upset win over the No. 2 ranked Western Mustangs, and will look to steal another match against their second straight higher-seeded foe.
Along with their freshman phenom, the Gaels will turn to First-Team All-Star Marcus Trence (Hockley Valley, Ont. ), who led the OUA in kills on the year. The hard-hitting star secured 4.3 points per set, good enough for fifth in the conference this season, and did so on the back of 3.65 kills per set and a top-10 mark in total service aces. Beyond these impressive efforts, Trence also ranked fourth in digs per set, showing that whether he is helping to save the point or finish it off, the fifth year outside hitter is one to watch.
Epitomized by Trence's efforts, the Gaels as a whole are quite a handful for opponents, as they entered postseason play with an OUA-leading 875 kills – 12.75 per set to rank second – on over 2,000 attacks. Their .266 hitting percentage also checks in at number two in the province, as does their average digs per set (10.85). It has been a high-octane season for the Gaels, and with the team looking to give East Division Coach of the Year Brenda Willis a winning send-off this season, the Kingston squad will be tough to stop come Friday against Ryerson.
In their first match of the season, both schools came out swinging, as each powerhouse secured hitting percentages north of .450 in the opening set, but it was the host Rams that were able to better maintain that pace over the following two sets to secure the win. Flipping the script just a couple weeks later, however, the Gaels turned in a dominant effort in to grab the straight sets win.
Led by the East Division Player of the Year Lucas Coleman (Brooklin, Ont.), the Rams have found success all over the court this season, as they rank in the top five in hitting percentage (.245), kills per set (11.49), and service aces per set (1.38), while also sitting sixth in blocks.  Another big reason why Coleman and the Rams have thrived this year is once again the play of former OUA Rookie of the Year Adam Anagnostopoulos (Waterloo, Ont.), whose setting prowess is among the best the conference has to offer. The setter ranked fourth in the OUA in assists per set with 9.66 and his steady play remains a catalyst for the championship-hopeful Rams.
Among other top Rams players, it is a third senior that will also look to have a significant say in the final outcome. All-Star Brendan Kewin (Milton, Ont.), ranked second on the squad – only to Coleman – in several key offensive categories such as points per set and kills per set, so if the Rams want to slay their semifinal foe, the outside hitter's 3.8 points per set average will go a long way.
Semifinal action takes to the court at 5:30pm on Friday, with the second match taking place at 8:00pm. The bronze medal match opens up play on Saturday at 5:30pm, before the Forsyth Cup final wraps up championship weekend at 8:00pm.
