GUELPH, ON - For the first time in six years, the Gryphons will be making an appearance at the OUA Men's Volleyball Final Four. The two-day event is being hosted by top-seeded McMaster, with the Gryphons and Waterloo Warriors kicking things off on Friday, March 10 at 5:30pm. The Gryphons, who finished 2nd in the OUA West during the regular season, defeated Nipissing 3-1 in OUA Quarter-final action this past weekend to book a spot in the Final Four. The Gryphons now sit two wins away from the school's first OUA title in men's volleyball since 1978. Should the Gryphons win on Friday versus Waterloo, they would also secure a spot at nationals (U SPORTS Championship). The last time the Gryphons were represented at nationals in men's volleyball was in 1988 when they hosted the then-CIAU championships.
WHAT: OUA Men's Volleyball Final Four
WHEN: Friday, March 10 - 5:30pm
WHERE: Burridge Gymnasium (McMaster University)
WHO: Guelph Gryphons vs Waterloo Warriors (OUA Semi-final)
| TICKETS: |
Adults = $15 |
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Student/Youth = $5 |
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Weekend Pass = $25 (adult), $10 (student/youth) |
FINAL FOUR SCHEDULE:
Friday, March 10
Semifinal 1: Waterloo vs. Guelph (5:30 PM)
Semifinal 2: Ryerson vs. McMaster (8:00 PM)
Saturday, March 11
Bronze Medal Game: Loser SF1 vs. Loser SF2 (5:30 PM)
Gold Medal Game: Winner SF1 vs. Winner SF2 (8:00 PM)
GRYPHONS-WARRIORS PREVIEW:
The Warriors and Gryphons both arrive at the semi-final stage in fine form after dispatching quality opposition en route to Burridge Gym.
The Gryphons enter Friday's match having won seven of their last eight matches, bouncing back from a string of three consecutive losses out of the holiday break to charge into the OUA playoffs.
They cleared their first playoff hurdle by snuffing out the Cinderella story of the Nipissing Lakers in the quarter-final round, besting the Lakers in four tight sets at the Guelph Gryphons Athletics Centre.
Third-year man Zach Newman (Kitchener, Ont.) was the star of that show with 20 kills and 51 attempts, and fans can expect Newman to see plenty of the ball Friday. He was Guelph's most used hitter this season, and finished second among Gryphons with 144 kills and an average of 2.53 kills per set.
But the main attraction will undoubtedly be middle Kendrick Kerr (Georgetown, Ont.), who did it all for Guelph in 2016-17. Kerr finished as the OUA's most efficient attacker, with a hitting percentage of 50.8, while finishing fifth in the conference with 61 blocks.
Manning the controls offensively, setter Samuel Kloke (Whitby, Ont.) has been dependable throughout the season, finishing fourth in the OUA with an average of 9.56 assists per set.
The Gryphons enter Friday's knockout encounter having swept both previous meetings with the Warriors in the regular season.
Despite their status as a preseason favourite, Waterloo's early struggles made their road to the playoffs a difficult one. But a 6-3 run in the New Year, which included a razor-close five-set loss to the Marauders in February, helped the Warriors cement their spot.
They responded by springing the upset on the East's top-seeded York Lions in the quarter-finals, besting the Lions over four sets in North York with the help of a colossal 26.5-point afternoon from opposite Braden Cok (Waterloo, Ont.).
Look for Cok to feature prominently once again Friday, as the Warriors workhorse ranked inside the top 10 in the conference in kills per set (3.41) and hitting percentage (.297).
He is spelled strongly on the left side by the duo of fourth-year veteran Aidan Simone(London, Ont.) and rookie Kevin Lebreux (Cumberland, Ont.), the younger of whom burst onto the OUA scene with a spin serve that yielded a total of 30 aces this season, ranking him third in the conference.
A traditional strength of the Warriors, the block remains stout for Waterloo, who finished third in the OUA with a team total of 158 blocks this season. Senior middle Jordan McConkey (Stratford, Ont.) ranked fourth in the conference with 62 of those, while rookie Matthew Mawdsley (London, Ont.) chipped in 58 to signal his long-term potential as a defensive stalwart for Waterloo.
