GUELPH, Ont. – The Gryphons men's volleyball team went toe-to-toe with the No. 6-ranked team in the country and the reigning OUA silver medalist Queen's Gaels on the weekend, with the visiting Gaels escaping Guelph with a pair of five-set victories on Friday (Jan. 17) and Saturday (Jan. 18).
Following the two, tightly contested losses, the Gryphons record on the season drops to 6-8 (tied for 8th in the OUA standings), while the No. 6-ranked Gaels improve to 11-3 on the season (2nd in OUA standings).
Game 1 | Friday, Jan. 17, 2025 (Queen's 3, Guelph 2)
After splitting a pair of games in North Bay (Jan. 10 & 11 at Nipissing), the Gryphons men's volleyball team returned to their home court for the first time in 2025 with a Friday night matchup with the No. 6-ranked Queen's Gaels. The Gryphons looked sharp on Friday night, taking the 2nd set 25-17, and dominating the 3rd set (25-13) and had the Gaels on the ropes with Guelph leading 2-sets-to-1. The Gaels would close out the match strong, edging Guelph 26-24 in a hard-fought 4th set before taking the 5th set 15-12 to secure the win. The Gryphons were led on Friday night by fourth-year left side,
Cameron Chadwick. The Barrie, Ontario native finished the night with 15 kills, 16.5 points and a team-high 9 digs. Gryphons third-year middle blocker,
Nathan Peters, also made an impact with 11 points, 6 kills, 2 aces, 1 solo block and 4 block assists.
Game 2 | Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025 (Queen's 3, Guelph 2)
Less than 24 hours after going the distance on Friday night, the Gryphons and Gaels were back at it on Saturday for a 6pm matchup at the Guelph Gryphons Athletics Centre. Once again, five sets would be required to determine a winner, with the Gryphons and Gaels alternating wins through the first four sets, before the Gaels were able to edge Guelph, 15-13, in the decisive 5th set. The Gryphons were led by fifth-year right side,
Alexander Odle (Burlington, ON), who tallied 15 kills and 11 digs in the loss. Gryphons first-year setter,
Tian Harcevic (Oakville, ON), recorded 42 assists to go along with a team-high 15 digs.
Cameron Chadwick (15 kills),
Nathan Peters (11 points) and
Joshua Glasbergen (10 points) all scored in double figures for the Gryphons in the five-set loss.
The Gryphons (6-8) have six games remaining in their 2024-25 OUA regular season schedule, and will continue to battle for playoff positioning in the OUA, with each of Guelph's next four games coming on the road.
The Gryphons will travel to Toronto for a back-to-back road games versus the TMU Bold (6-6) on Friday, Jan. 24 and Saturday, Jan. 25 at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
The Gryphons will then return to the provincial capital again the following weekend (Jan. 31 / Feb. 1) for a pair of road matchups versus the University of Toronto Varsity Blues (7-5), before returning to the Guelph Gryphons Athletics Centre to close out the regular season on Feb. 14 and Feb. 15 when they host the Western Mustangs (8-4).
