V-Reds have work to do

Still reeling from a Tuesday night thrashing at the hands of the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds men's volleyball team faltered offensively again Wednesday in their second straight preseason loss.

The V-Reds, falling in straight sets 25-23, 25-20 and 25-17, failed to win a single set during the two-game matchup with the Thunderbirds.

"We're definitely better than this," said UNB head coach Dan McMorran after Wednesday night's defeat.

UNB kept pace with UBC until the mid-point of each set only to commit several costly errors, which allowed the Thunderbrids to build a three- or four-point advantage and steal the sets.

The V-Reds saw a number of opportunities to open a cushy lead in the first set thwarted by service errors.

After a lengthy rally, fourth-year outside hitter Matt Sweet came up for a huge block to energize his bench and the crowd at the Richard J. Currie Center. However, Julio Fernandez promptly sent the ball into the net on the following play, killing any momentum. The Thunderbirds returned the favour by retaking the lead, scoring three straight points and not letting go.

"We had opportunities in the first set to get a set, and that might have given UBC something to think about, but we didn't give them much to think about," said McMorran.

"We had a lapse there, and they're lapses that didn't take place last year."

The V-Reds posted 13 service errors and 16 errors on attack in the loss.

"It's not just one error; it's consecutive errors. Any team across the country is going to make you pay, and we paid the price," said McMorran.

The summer rust was evident as the offence, which has plenty of returnees from last year's AUS championship team, made uncharacteristic blunders throughout the match.

Although the squad had a better showing than Tuesday's game, McMorran still isn't pleased with his team's attack.

"We're out of sync offensively," he said. "I'm actually quite surprised we're that out sync so far. It's only our second match of the year, but that's not an excuse because last year our first two matches were a couple of the best matches we played all year."

Fernandez led the way for UNB with 11 kills, six digs and three blocks. Fifth-year veteran John Sheehan also chipped in six kills, two digs and a block, while Logan Keoughan posted five kills, three blocks and one ace.

After a strong start that showcased a diverse offence, the attack narrowed and was focused down the middle for the remainder of the match.

"We're not hitting our outside hitters," McMorran said.

"We need to have a quicker tempo ball, and that's what UBC runs and they run it very well."

The head coach will be looking for a stronger offensive output at the Queen's Invitational in Kingston, Ont. this weekend. The squad leaves on Thursday for a trio of games as the top eight teams in the country square off at the site of the CIS national championship tournament in March.

"Hopefully the rust fell off, and on the long drive to Kingston tomorrow hopefully we can scrub some more rust off then."