KINGSTON, Ont. – It was a year full of tests for the Guelph Gryphons men's volleyball team. On many occasions, the resilient Gryphons passed them. Unfortunately, they fell just agonizingly short when it was time to win or go home. A depleted Guelph side saw its season end with a gut-wrenching 3-2 loss (18-25, 14-25, 25-22, 25-21 and 21-23 ) loss to the Queen's Gaels in a Forsyth Cup OUA quarter-final classic Saturday afternoon in Kingston.
The Gryphons were heroic in fighting off six match points in the deciding set to get within one point of a Final Four berth themselves. But the host Gaels produced a couple defensive gems to go up 22-21 in the fifth and facing its seventh match point, Guelph was unable to get it back over the net, ending an amazing comeback bid after trailing by two sets early.
Third-year Gryphon
Oliver Hissink led the way with 17 kills, including a couple clutch finishes in the dramatic fifth set, while second-year left side
Zarko Ubiparip had 14 and a match-high 12 digs. Rookie
Arjun Selhi was a force up front with four blocks, with first-year setter
Gideon Dresser registering 33 assists. Graduating fifth-year star
Zachary Newman battled an injured ankle and had nine kills with an ace in the final match of his distinguished Guelph career.
Zarko Ubiparip goes up against the Queen's front line in a five-set classic
It looked like it was going to be a short afternoon as Queen's rolled to wins in the first two sets. But the Gryphons deserved all the credit for regrouping and raising their game when it mattered most. Head coach
Cal Wigston and his staff made a few adjustments and the team played its best volleyball in the third and fourth sets to extend the match, with the rookie Dresser and Hissink playing key roles in leading the offence.
The rally began with a massive 25-22 win in the third and Guelph absorbed an early 4-0 run in the fourth before a big block from
Jakson Paterson gave the visitors an 11-10 lead. The Gryphons built on the advantage by winning 11 of 16 points to get it to 24-21 and they came all the way back to tie the match when Newman drilled one off a Queen's defender and out of bounds for a 25-21 win, shocking the Athletics & Recreation Centre crowd.
The fifth set will go down as one of the most incredible stretches of play by two teams this OUA season. It was back and forth throughout, with Guelph frustrating the Gaels as they tried to put away the OUA West No. 4 seed. A Newman kill and a Queen's error gave the Gryphons a 7-6 lead but they would have to save two of the six match points to get it to 14-14. Guelph then went up 19-18 and 21-20 but timely blocks by Queen's on each of those subsequent points saved the hosts and enabled them to finally put the feisty visitors away.
The Gaels' offence was dominant throughout the regular season, ranking first in the OUA in kills (871), total attacks (1,991), assists (844), and aces (144). Guelph managed to hang with them early and took a 10-9 lead, its first of the opening set, on a fantastic finish from Paterson. Queen's chipped away and got it to 24-17 before eventually going up 1-0 when the Gryphons front line rose to block a kill from the left side but saw the ball ricochet out of bounds.
It wasn't very close in the second as Queen's got it going offensively, hitting an incredible .600 in the set.
Despite the loss, the match provided an incredible experience for many of the younger team members and was an appropriate response for a group that fought all year. The Gryphons suffered through an array of key injuries, including one to former All-Canadian
Kendrick Kerr, to go on a five-game win streak before hanging on to earn the elimination match with the Gaels, who topped the OUA East this season with an impressive 15-3 record. One of those three losses came to Guelph. The teams met just once during the year back on Jan. 18 at the GGAC, a match in which the Gryphons dug deep and pulled off a 3-1 upset. Queen's responded by winning its final eight matches of the season, five of them coming in straight-set victories, to enter the playoffs with momentum.
The match marked the final appearance in red, black, and gold for Newman,
Samuel Nothnagel,
Christian Bechard,
Terry Pham, and
Robert Abrams.
Gryphon Take
"During the second set, we were a point where it didn't look like were going to win. We talked to the guys and said, 'Our chances look slim but we can steal some points and get some momentum for the third set.' There was absolutely no quit in them, no one had their head down or was getting angry. They were just working hard together. We truly gutted it out."
"The fifth set was unique because of how long it went. It was almost like a regular set and an absolute battle. We would take two punches and give three back."
"I love this team. What a crazy year and to go out fighting like we did, I am so proud. There were some tears but after a while, they turned to smiles."
– head coach Cal Wigston
