The No. 9 nationally ranked University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's volleyball team claimed a three set sweep over the visiting Nipissing Lakers on Saturday (Nov. 22) afternoon inside the Goldring Centre – Kimel Family Field House.

Set scores in the match were 25-21, 25-22, 25-19. The Blues improve to 7-1 on the season, making themselves one of only three teams in the OUA to reach seven wins at the conclusion of the fall semester.

A big advantage for the Blues in the quick three set contest came at the service line. Six different U of T players registered a service ace in the win, led by fifth-year outside hitter Hunter Arulpragasam's five. Meanwhile, the Lakers struggled to find their aim on service, conceding 15 service errors, including eight in the third and deciding set.

Arulpragasam led all players with 15 total points from his five aces combined with nine kills and one solo block. Following a stellar showing in the Blues five set victory the night before, fellow fifth-year outside hitter Maxime Gratton added another 10.5 points to his weekend total, registering nine kills, one ace and one block assist. Second-year outside hitter Iannis Toma rounded out the double-digit performers with 11 points from eight kills, one ace and two solo blocks.

Fourth-year setter Michael Hickey once again paced the Blues offence with xx assists through three full sets of action, while first-year libero Jeffrey Kladko continue to impress defensively with a team-high seven digs.

Both Gratton and Toma now rank first in the OUA in total kills sitting tied at 116 apiece, while Gratton also ranks second in service aces with 17. Meanwhile, Arulpragasam ranks fourth in kills with 109 and also second in the province in total digs with 73 so far this season. Finally, veteran setter Hickey sits at the top of the leaderboard with an OUA-best 336 total assist through eight matches.

Leading the way for Nipissing, Benjamin Franz tallied a team-high xx points utilizing a strong net presence with four solo blocks, one block assist, six kills, and one service ace.

Following the winter break, the Varsity Blues will begin 2026 with a road trip to Peterborough where they will challenge the Trent Excalibur in a pair of matches on Friday, Jan. 9 and Saturday, Jan. 10. First serve for the Friday showdown is scheduled for 8 p.m., while Saturday will begin at 4 p.m. The matches will be streamed on oua.tv.