This past weekend, the UNB Men’s Volleyball team made their way back to Quebec for the second time this season to square off against the Quebec Conference in round two of the interlocks. The first interlock, hosted by Laval, saw the Varsity Reds going 1-2 with losses to Sherbrooke (3-0) and Laval (3-1), and a win over Montreal (3-1). The squad would be strengthened this time around with the return of captain Jacob Kilpatrick, who missed the last three weeks recovering from a shoulder injury.
The team got off to a good start on Friday as they squared off against the Montreal Carabins. The Varsity Reds were in complete control, cruising to a 25-19, 25-22, 25-17, match win. Ten players made contributions throughout the match, with Julio Fernandez getting a game high 13 kills. The team hit an impressive .571 and dominated at the net, racking up 19 blocks in only three sets.
Day two would be a big order for the Varsity Reds, as they would face two teams who defeated them at the first interlock. In the first match against #2 Laval, UNB battled well and took the Quebec powerhouse to the distance before eventually losing a nail-biter, 15-13 in the fifth set. Tyler Veenhuis led the way for the UNB with 15 kills, 8 digs, and 6 blocks, with John Sheehan and Jacob Kilpatrick recording 9 and 8 kills respectively, while adding 7 and 8 blocks. Marc White and JP deVink were impressive for the Varsity Reds as they entered the match in the second set and made significant contributions for the rest of the match.
In the second match of the day, the Varsity Reds would face the hometown Sherbrooke Vert et Or. In the first two sets, the Varsity Reds jumped out to 5-0 leads, easily cruising to 25-20 wins. In the third set, UNB jumped out to another lead with Sherbrooke trailing 9-5 early on. That lead would be short lived, as the Vert et Or would storm back to tie the set at 9-9. Shaking passing and offensive errors by the Varsity Reds allowed Sherbrooke to take a lead in the set, and they would extend the match coming back to win 25-20. In the fourth UNB would find their rhythm again, jumping out to an 8-4 lead at the first technical timeout, extending their lead to 17-11, and dominating Sherbrooke at the net enroute to a decisive 25-17 set win, taking the match 3-1. Matt Sweet had an impressive match recording 12 kills (.423), 9 digs, 2 blocks, and 1 ace.
COACH’S COMMENT
“This was a good weekend for us. I thought the guys battled hard all weekend against some very tough teams. We were up 12-11 in the fifth set of the Laval match and while I was pleased with how we competed that match, I was disappointed with how we ended it, as we had two or three great opportunities to win the match down the stretch and we didn’t get it done…a great learning experience, however. I was also pleased with the performances of a few individuals. Marc White, JP deVink, and Jon Tower all made good contributions, and both setters set probably their best matches of the season to date. Kyle Blanchard seemed to find a defensive groove as well in our libero position, and now stands atop the conference in total digs and digs/set. All in all, a great way for us to finish the first half.”
INTERLOCK RECORDS
UNB 2-1
DAL 1-2
MUN 0-3
Laval 3-0
Montreal 2-1
Sherbrooke 1-2