Lakers eliminated from playoffs

PETERBOROUGH – The Nipissing Lakers men’s volleyball team hopes of advancing to the quarter-finals were dashed as they fell victim to the same Trent Excalibur team that eliminated them a year ago also in a five set marathon match on Monday.

In what seemed like "déjà vu," the Lakers couldn’t get a bounce as several crushing attacks bounced off of shoulders and in some cases off the heads of Trent players and somehow they were able to retrieve these balls and keep the rallies alive. In the end the Lakers were edged 3-2 (26-24, 14-25, 27-25, 24-26, 15-12) while creating more offensive points and digs then their counterparts.

“We had a few calls go against us, particularly in the 5th that I think the guys are frustrated with, but the bottom line is we also did not execute very well at key times in the match,” said head coach Grant Ross.

“We did not pass as well as we have been lately, and that hurt us a bit as we were not able to run our middles as much as we would like.”

Ross also noted that Trent did put up a big block and that his left sides struggled to score early in the match.

The Lakers have been playing very well in the second half defeating some top teams in the West division on their way to a 10-6 record.

“We felt we were capable of medaling this year, but just didn’t put in a good enough effort when we needed to in order to give ourselves a chance. Hopefully our young guys will learn from this and be better for it as the program moves forward,” added Ross.

Brothers Andre and Adam Leblanc continued to carry the bulk of the offensive load for the Lakers as they poured in 23 and 20 points respectively. Jamie VanderZande and Drew Pahapill each added 11 points.

The team also expressed gratitude to the Nipissing and North Bay community for their support throughout the season. The crowds have been excellent and the team looks forward to next season.

Submitted to BayToday.ca