Men’s volleyball strive for top spot

With only four games remaining in the regular season and a playoff spot locked up, the men’s volleyball team is showing no signs of letting up until the season is over.

They were in Halifax last weekend for the third and final Interlock tournament of the season, going 2-1 over the weekend.

UNB opened the weekend against Laval, currently ranked number one in the CIS. They lost the match 3-1, a match that was not as close as their last meeting in the first semester.

Varsity Reds head coach Dan McMorran knows his team did not come out with the same fight they did in their last match against Laval.

“It was definitely kind of a whirlwind day,” said McMorran. “We were a lot flatter than when we played them in Quebec first semester. We didn’t stop a couple of their players as we had done previously. We didn’t pass that well and if we aren’t passing that well it’s difficult to run offence, which against a middle of the pack team may be fine, but not against the top team in the country.”

The V-Reds finished off the weekend with two straight wins 3-1 over Montreal and 3-1 over Sherbrooke.

Their next action is Feb. 5-6 at Memorial. McMorran knows both matches are important if they look to take first place.

“We definitely need two wins. We want to make sure first and foremost we get those two wins because Dal will most likely pick up both wins against MUN next weekend.”

Although UNB has their playoff spot locked regardless of how they fare against Memorial, McMorran says the team does not believe that is good enough.

“We have Dalhousie in here for a huge weekend,” he said. “A lot of people are saying do you have to get the split…or whatever, but we’re looking to beat Dal both times and have that top spot.”

Earlier this season UNB lost both matches against Dalhousie, but with home court advantage on the line they want to finish off the season in a winning fashion.

“We aren’t trying to do anything different, aside from beating Dalhousie. Those are two big matches and obviously both teams are locked in to those playoff spots so someone may say it doesn’t matter if you get the home court advantage, but we’re not looking that way, we definitely want to have the advantage.”

This may be easier said than done, but McMorran says his team has been steadily improving since losing those matches to Dal last semester and believes they have a good shot at defeating them.

“We’ll have Jacob this time, but then again they’ll have Max Burt back. Both of those are huge equalizing factors,” he said. “I think defensively we’re better than we were first semester. I think offensively we’re finding a groove, but it’s a work in progress and it is getting better.”

“I would say we’re going to be a team better than we were first semester so I would say that Dalhousie is not sitting back either and that the scales are even between the two teams right now. It’s setting up to be a big battle for the end of the season.”