Men’s Volleyball
Quarterfinal 3: Trinity Western wins duel over McMaster
The No. 3 Université Laval Rouge et Or get off to a good start at the U SPORTS 2019 Men's Volleyball Championships presented by Hôtel Universel Québec defeating the No. 6 Queen's Gaels in five sets (25-22, 23-25, 25-22, 23-25, 15-12) on Friday night before a very loud home crowd of more than 2,500 at Université Laval in Quebec City.
Laval’s quest for a perfect season and a first national title since 2013 is still alive. The Rouge et Or move on to play the Trinity Western Spartans in the second semifinal Saturday at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. The Gaels will face the McMaster Marauders at 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT.
Rouge et Or head coach Pascal Clement was all smiles after the match, praising the rookie setter Ludovic Martin, who was extraordinary at the end of the game. "He was like a pinch hitter hitting a homerun in the seventh inning. He delivered when we needed it the most,” applauded Clement. “This was an intense game, not always easy to manage, but we responded well. I think we have a strong team fiber and we saw a demonstration of that here tonight."
Gaels’ head coach Gabriel DeGroot knew it would be a serve and pass battle. “Laval had some heavy serves with a lot of velocity, especially at the end of the match,” he concluded. “We can be proud of the opposition we brought. We were ready for the loud atmosphere and energy, our guys handled it really well, but unfortunately at the end, the crowd had their chance to celebrate.”
Setter Ludovic Martin was designated player of the match for the Rouge et Or. The rookie had an impressive service game, especially at the end of the fifth set, where he orchestrated five consecutive points. For the Gaels, outside hitter Zac Hutcheson came out strong with 19 kills, two aces and eight digs.
Players of the Game
- Université Laval: Ludovic Martin
- Queen’s: Zac Hutcheson
As the Exclusive Volleyball Supplier of U SPORTS, Mikasa has reaffirmed its commitment to university sports in Canada and will provide match balls, as well as other prizing to the U SPORTS Men’s Volleyball Championship and the U SPORTS Women’s Volleyball Championship in 2019 and 2020.