The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's volleyball team is set to host the York Lions in the OUA bronze medal match this Friday, March 10 at the Goldring Centre for High-Performance Sport.
 
First serve is set for 7 p.m. Tickets will be available at the gate, starting at 5:30 p.m. The first 500 U of T students with a valid T card will receive free admission. 
 
THE STAKES: The winner of the match will earn the OUA's third berth to the U SPORTS championships, March 17-19, at McMaster University. U of T will be looking to punch their third straight ticket to the national tournament.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: The Blues and Lions faced off twice during the regular season, with Toronto sweeping the season series 2-0. On Nov. 10, the Blues took their first matchup 3-1 (20-25, 25-20, 25-20, 46-44), which saw the second highest scoring volleyball set in North American collegiate history. A couple weeks later on Nov. 25, the Blues swept the Lions 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-19).
 
This will be the first time the two teams will face off in the post season since the Blues defeated the Lions in the OUA championship final in 2003-04.
 
The Blues finished the regular season with a 13-7 record, in third place in the OUA standings.  Their season included an eight-game win streak spanning from Nov. 10, 2022 to Jan. 15, 2023. U of T loved playing at home, holding a 9-1 record, which is second best in the OUA.
 
For a third season in a row, fourth-year left side hitter and 2022-23 OUA most valuable player Evan Falardeau ranked top five in the OUA in kills per set. After 20 games, Falardeau finished the season second in the province in kills per set with 4.26. The Stratford, Ont. native also ranked second in the OUA in points per set with 4.8.
 
Fellow veteran outside Mitchell Neuert provided the secondary offence, averaging 2.77 kills and 3.3 points per set.
 
Fifth-year libero Daniel Tudor led the Blues defensively and ranked first in the OUA with 2.37 digs per set. Second-year standout Davis Young ranked eighth among OUA setters with 8.20 assists per set, while rookie setter Michael Hickey ranked 10th, averaging 7.91 assists per set over 13 matches.
 
Outside hitter Josh Fadare was a force for the Lions this season ranking fourth in the OUA in kills per set (4.00) and points per set (4.8). Just behind him was Andrew Tauhid who finished the season with 3.51 kills per set (sixth in the OUA) and 4.2 points per set (fifth in the OUA).
 
Jasraj Nijjar set the Lions up during the regular season and found himself fourth in the OUA in assists per set (8.9).