Ottawa, ON - The Algonquin Wolves men's volleyball team suffered their first loss of the season in a tightly contested five-set battle against the George Brown Huskies.
The opening set saw both teams trading points early, remaining tied at 9–9 before the Huskies seized momentum with consecutive blocks and a service ace, prompting a Wolves timeout at 12–9. The stoppage wasn't enough to slow the Huskies, who continued to control the net and extend their lead to 17–11. Algonquin struggled to recover and dropped the first set 25–20.
The Wolves again fell behind early in the second set, trailing 7–5, until a powerful middle attack from Ethan Fisher helped spark a shift in momentum. Algonquin tightened up defensively, forcing several Huskies errors, and surged ahead 12–9 after a big back-row kill from Nick Gauthier Barber. However, missed serves allowed George Brown to claw back and tie the set at 16. From there, neither team could pull away until the score reached 27–27. That's when Mateo Nunez Kruus delivered a clutch overpass kill, followed by a timely block to secure the 29–27 win for Algonquin.
The Wolves carried that energy into the third set, building a commanding 20–12 lead. But a string of unforced errors allowed the Huskies to rally and fend off three set points to narrow the score to 24–23. Thankful, Lucas Kelly was able to wipe a tip off the Huskie block and out to take the set 25-23.
The fourth set was neck-and-neck throughout, with neither team able to create separation until late in the frame. Tied at 21–21, the Huskies capitalized on back-to-back blocks to take a 23–21 edge. Another attack error from Algonquin ended the set 25–22, sending the match to a fifth and deciding set.
In the deciding set, the Huskies again took advantage of early Algonquin errors to lead 5–3, forcing a Wolves timeout. The Wolves responded by forcing two straight Husky mistakes to tie it at 5–5. The teams traded side-outs deep into the set, but George Brown came up with a pivotal block to earn match point. Another missed serve from Algonquin sealed the set 15–12 and handed the Huskies the 3–2 match victory.
Despite the loss, several Wolves delivered standout performances:
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Connor Finnie led all Wolves with 21 points, contributing 9 kills, 2 aces, and 10 blocks.
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Nick Gauthier Barber added a team-high 15 kills and 2 blocks.
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Mateo Nunez Kruus was highly efficient, posting 11 kills, 6 blocks, and 1 ace.
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Ethan Fisher finished with 12 kills and 4 blocks.
The Wolves now turn their attention to a pivotal road trip, where they will face the undefeated Seneca Sting (7–0) on Friday, November 28, followed by a matchup against the Georgian Grizzlies (4–2) on Saturday, November 29.
