Consolation Semifinal 2: Montreal drops Windsor to advance to consolation final

The Montreal Carabins made quick work of the Windsor Lancers on Saturday afternoon, advancing with a powerful three-set victory to the consolation final at the TELUS 2018 U SPORTS Men's Volleyball Championship at McMaster University.

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Montreal wasted no time bouncing back from their crushing quarter-final defeat yesterday at the hands of McMaster, defeating the OUA bronze medalists with set scores of 25-19, 25-10 and 25-16

"After the five-setter yesterday, our first challenge was to get our energy to start this game, and I think we found that energy and our players went on to enjoy the game like they should," said Montreal head coach Ghazi Guidara. "It was not easy to play today, because we were so close to winning the quarter-final yesterday, but we gave the maximum today and tomorrow we have the opportunity to get fifth place."

Mikael Dagenais earned player of the game honours for the Carabins, scoring seven kills on 10 attacks (.700)  adding a service ace and four block assists, while tallying a game-high 10 points. Godefroy Veyron-Trudel contributed eight points in the win, with Alyson Francillon posting six.

The Carabins' Oliver Riopel had a game-high 11 digs in the victory.

For Windsor, John Moate was named the Lancers player of the match, scoring seven kills on 13 attacks.  Brad Gyemi was the Lancers' top scorer, recording nine points in the loss.

Windsor struggled in the opening set and it showed on the scoreboard, as the Carabins cruised to a 8-5 lead before the Lancers starting closing the gap to keep the opening set close. Windsor's struggles showed on the stat sheet, as they managed just a .100 hitting average and committed seven service errors en route to a 25-19 defeat.

Montreal capitalized throughout the contest and used big runs in the final two sets to dispose of the Lancers.  Montreal's second-set victory was capped by a closing 10-2 run to finish 25-10. The third saw the Carabins break with a 9-3 start, before outlasting Windsor's attack 25-16.

Windsor head coach James Gravelle credited Montreal for bringing their best game, and ending the Lancers season.

"They executed really well. They're very well-coached and we respect them a great deal. We prepared for what their strengths are, but they were able to beat us regardless.

"We're happy with a great season," he added "It's difficult to accept how it ended with this match, but I'm very happy for our players.

The Carabins will now play for tomorrow's consolation final against UNB, who also swept their way to the consolation final, knocking off the Queen's Gaels earlier on Saturday. The contest is set for 11:00 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT on Sunday.

Guidara said his team was ready and looking forward to meeting UNB in what he thought would be a good way to end the season.

"We've played UNB three times in our interlock, and we know this team and they know us," he said. "We've got to play hard and find the same energy we had today. If we can do that, it will be a good match.

Boxscore

Players of the Game

• Montreal: Mikael Dagenais
• Windsor: John Moate