Men’s volleyball team sweeps St. Clair

STORY BY MICHAEL MELRO

The Sheridan men’s volleyball team cruised to victory over the St. Clair Saints (2-10 OCAA), 3-0, last Saturday night at Trafalgar Campus.

The Bruins have started the New Year off with a bang, winning three of four and their third on the trot, improving their league record to 8-5 in OCAA action.

“It has definitely been a better start than the first semester. We need to get rolling now because everybody is pushing for the play offs, we need to get as high up on the board as we can,” coach Frank Pento said.

The Double Blue dominated the first game, with help from Patryk Andula, who went on a run of over 10 points in a row while on serve. The Saints were no match for the size and strength of Sheridan up front and would fall 25-13.

“It’s good to play well at home, serving and passing was very good tonight and we were able to score in transition pretty well,” Pento said.

This was evident in the second game, which was a little closer and took a team effort in the end. Big contributions from team leaders Josh Butler and Jeremy Fantin, helped push the Bruins to an early lead before the Saints fought back to make it a tight finish, 25-18.

With two of the next three games against division opponents who are above Sheridan in the standings, coach Pento was in no mood to let the match slip away. He stuck with his starters for nearly the entire night and it paid dividends in the final game.

With the Double Blue facing the last place team in the west in their next game coach, Pento explained how he will be resting some of his starters to be fresh for the final stretch to the playoffs.

The third game was a back and forth battle. Ultimately the Bruins came out on top 25-18 once more, sweeping St. Clair out of the gym.

The next three games will all be on the road, travelling to Boreal, Mohawk and Cambrian Colleges. This road trip will provide a mental test more than anything else.

“You’re not used to the gyms, the outlines and it’s tough not sleeping in your own bed, travelling a lot on the bus. The greatest challenge is staying mentally focused and staying positive. Away games are a test of your mental ability and overall teamwork,” Andula said.

The Bruins next game will be against the last place Cambrian Golden Shields (0-13 OCAA), next Saturday Jan. 30.