The OUA goes to the Gaels for a second straight year.
On March 6, the Queen’s Men’s Volleyball team travelled to Windsor to take on the University of Windsor Lancer in the OUA Championship. The Lancers finished in the first seed in the OUA after an impressive 18-2 regular season. The two teams didn’t face each other in the regular season; however, they did play in an exhibition match early in January, with the Gaels taking it in three sets.
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A crowd of 2,400 fans packed the Toldo Lancer Centre for the OUA Championship rematch, with the Gaels setting the tone early. Veteran outside Reed Venning, ArtSci ’26, started the game with five straight serves, including two aces to get the Lancers on their heels early. The Gaels would continue this momentum courtesy of veteran setter Chris Zimmerman, ArtSci ’27, spreading the ball around leading to 15 kills in the first set. They would go on to win the first set 25-17.
The second set was a much closer affair as the Lancers offence awoke from their first set blunders. All season long, The Gaels have been a resilient group that didn’t waver in this set. In front of a hostile crowd, they hung around all game long until the very end, where they broke away. Outside veteran Nikola Mitrovic, ArtSci ’27, who continues to level up his game in the playoffs, had three big kills late to put the Gaels in a position to win, topped off with a Zimmerman ace to take the set 25-23.
Another early lead for the Lancers, who were desperate to get back into the match, led by a score of 11-6. A well-timed timeout by the Gaels turned the game back to the Gaels side as they went on to score seven out of 10 points to get within one point. As the points dwindled, emotions of every play got higher, as the Gaels tied the game at 20. The Gaels would pump up the pressure, which was too much for the Lancers, who made a couple of key errors in the last three points, leading to the Gaels’ victory 25-23 and taking the OUA championship for the second straight year.
The Journal talked with Reed Venning after the win about his last season with the Gaels, winning the OUA championship again and the upcoming USports Championship. Venning explained that as a fourth-year player, he knows he has to be in a leadership role.
“Knowing the coaches trust me has been nice but also being there for the younger guys as best we can and welcoming them to the team,” said Venning.
The team is a very close group, which is evident from their on-court interactions, with Venning describing the feeling of what it’s like to be a part of the team.
“We’re a family, these are the guys that are going to be at my wedding,” he said. “There’s no hierarchy on our team, the culture we’ve built here is so accepting.”
Preparing for their first match against UBC, the team is sticking to their strengths. “We’re going to hit it high and hard and be super aggressive, but at the same time we need to brock really well and be super disciplined,” Venning said.
Venning, being a graduating player, isn’t letting the emotions get to him yet, saying “the jobs not done” but adding he’s “super grateful to be back at nationals with my best friends.”
The Gaels will take on the UBC Thunderbirds on March 13 at 2 pm in the same place they won the OUA Championship.
Tags
Lancers, Men's Volleyball, OUA Champions
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The Queen’s University Gaels men’s volleyball team has been crowned OUA champions for the second straight year. In the championship game on March 6, 2026, Queen’s defeated the University of Windsor Lancers, winning in straight sets to secure the Forsyth Cup — the trophy awarded to the OUA men’s volleyball champion — for the second consecutive season.