Christmas was cut a little short for the UNB Varsity Reds Men’s Volleyball team this year, as they piled into a bus early in the morning on December 26th to take part in the “Excalibur Classic” hosted by the York University Lions. The tournament featured teams from the OUA, QSSF, and Budo University from Katsuura, Japan. Pool A featured York, Windsor, Sherbrooke, and Budo, while Pool B featured Western (#5), Ryerson, Montreal, and UNB.
After Day 1, the Varsity Reds found themselves undefeated after wins against the Ryerson Rams 3-0 (25-12, 25-13, 30-28) and the Montreal Carabins 3-0 (25-18, 25-21, 25-21), setting up a fight for first place the next day against CIS #5, Western Mustangs.
Day 2 was another successful day for UNB. The Varsity Reds started off by dropping Western in three straight sets (25-21, 25-15, 26-24), which gave them first place in their pool and a semi-final match later that evening against the second place finisher in Pool A, the Windsor Lancers. Windsor is a strong team that gave the Varsity Reds trouble in exhibition play last year, as UNB lost in five at a Montreal tournament, so the teams were eager for a rematch. The Lancers proved no contest this year for the VReds, as UNB dismantled them in three straight sets, 25-15, 25-16, 25-12. In the other semifinal, the host York Lions lost to the Western Mustangs 3-1, setting up a UNB/Western rematch in the finals.
Day 3 – UNB vs. Western – The Finals. Both teams looked strong in the opening set of the Championship match, but UNB would take a 16-14 lead going into the second technical timeout, and increase this to 21-18 late in the set. Western would tie things up at 23-23, and after both teams had game points it was UNB who would take the first set lead and continue their impressive 13 set win streak alive at this tournament. The streak would be short lived, however, as some inconsistent serve reception by the Varsity Reds allowed Western to take the second and third sets at 14 and 17. In the fourth, the large York crowd were treated to another great set of volleyball as both teams slugged it out down to the last points before Western eventually closed the door with a 25-22 set win, forcing the Varsity Reds to settle for silver.
Two fifth-year Varsity Reds were selected to the tournament all-star team. Jacob Kilpatrick and Tyler Veenhuis both took home all-star honours with their solid play throughout the week.
COACH’S COMMENTS
“I am really pleased with the performance of the entire team throughout this week. We competed against some tough opponents and played very consistent, disciplined volleyball at a time of the year where it is difficult to train prior to the competition. Dropping only 3 out of the 16 sets we played was an impressive accomplishment for our guys, and can partially be attributed to the off-court training they are committing to. This was definitely a good way for us to start the second half.”
32nd Annual Excalibur Volleyball Classic – Final Standings
1. Western
2. UNB
3. Windsor
4. York
5. Budo
6. Sherbrooke
7. Montreal and Ryerson
Tournament All-Stars
Karim Khalil (York)
Jacob Kilpatrick (UNB)
Taichiro Koga (Budo)
Garrett May (Western)
Matt Poulin (Western)
Tyler Veenhuis (UNB)