Although it wasn’t pretty, the Warriors men’s volleyball team fought and were able to squeak into the playoffs as they closed out their regular season with three wins, which proved to be crucial in securing them a spot. The Warriors finished the regular season 8-12, and have secured the eighth seed and the opportunity to compete for the Forsyth Cup and be crowned OUA champions. That being said, let’s get into everything you need to know for this upcoming playoff season.
How is the OUA playoff set up?
- Identical to women’s volleyball, men’s volleyball does not compete in distinct divisions within the OUA. Upon completion of the regular season, the top eight teams with the best win-loss record will move on to compete in the playoffs.
- The team with the best overall record is given the one-seed and the next seven teams are seeded according to their records.
- Matchups are set up in such a way that the top-seeded teams will play the lower-seeded teams (first vs eighth, second vs seventh, three vs six, four vs five), Matchups and teams are not reseeded as the playoffs progress.
- Each game is a single elimination with the higher-seeded team in the matchup hosting.
- The OUA playoffs include three rounds of competition: quarter-finals, semi-finals, and championship round.
Warriors playoff positioning
- The Warriors just barely made it to this final playoff spot. Finishing at 8-12, there was a three-way tie for the eighth spot. Thanks to tie-breaking scenarios, and their last four games being against the two teams they were tied with (TMU and McMaster) the Warriors were able to secure that final spot.
- The Warriors will travel to Windsor on Friday, Feb. 21 to take on the top-seeded Windsor Lancers.
- A couple of weeks back the Warriors travelled to Windsor to take on the Lancers in back-to-back matchups across two days. The Warriors dropped the first game 3 sets to 1 and the second 3 sets to 0.
- Although the set scores are not great, across both games the Warriors gave the Lancers a run for their money, with multiple sets providing the most narrow way of victory – two points.
Players to watch:
- Will McIntyre: #2 third year libero
- Fourth in the province digs/set (2.30)
- Team lead in total digs (168)
- Lucas Redmann: #20 third year outside hitter
- Team lead in kills (232)
- Second on the team for total blocks (49)
- Cohen Peters: #1 second year setter
- Top 10 in the province for assists/set (7.52)
- Team lead in total assists (565)
Although the Warriors have a tall task ahead of them, in sports, nothing is impossible. Think back before their final two regular season games against McMaster – it seemed as if their season would be over. The tide can turn quickly – time to go shock the league and knock off the number one seed. Go Warriors!
