The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's volleyball team defeated the Brock Badgers 3-1 (25-18, 25-18, 22-25, 31-29) in OUA quarter-final action on Saturday, February 29 at Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport.
 
With the win, the Blues advance to their second consecutive OUA Final Four, with this year's installment set to be hosted by the OUA-West leading McMaster Marauders. U of T will face the Guelph Gryphons in the semifinals on Friday at 5:30 p.m., with the top three teams out of the OUA advancing to the 2020 U SPORTS championship, March 13-15, at the University of Manitoba.
 
"It's amazing," said fourth-year setter and team captain Jordan Figueira. "I didn't think I would have this feeling afterwards. Chris and Evan are our power horses right now. They get us the most points and they played amazing. It's awesome for our program. The sky is the limit for us right now."
 
TORONTO STATS: Second-year left side hitter Evan Falardeau led all players with 20.5 points off of 15 kills, 4.5 blocks and one ace, while fifth-year veteran Chris Towe had 13 points, all from kills, and added nine digs on the day.
 
Nick Trewern, Benedikt Licht and Jasper Neale all notched six points, with Trewern co-leading the Blues with 10 digs.
 
Fourth-year setter Jordan Figueira tallied 36 assists and 10 digs in the win.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Blues got out to an 8-4 lead in the first set and carried a 16-11 advantage into the technical timeout. Toronto extended the gap to win the first set, 25-18.
 
Brock built an early 4-1 lead in the second set but the Blues battled back to even it up at 6-6. The two teams exchanged points with Toronto up 16-13 at the tech timeout. It was all U of T from there as the Blues took a 2-0 match lead, 25-18.
 
The third set was a back-and-forth battle from the start, with the Badgers building a narrow 16-15 lead at the technical timeout before forcing a fourth set, 25-22.
 
The Blues regrouped in the fourth set, amassing an early 8-4 lead and taking a 16-14 lead at the break. The match went down to the wire as both teams traded points until the Blues closed it out, 31-29.
 
For more information, scores and highlights on your favourite U of T athletes and teams, please visit www.varsityblues.ca. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for the latest and greatest in Varsity Blues intercollegiate athletics.