CIS: York Excalibur Tournament
York's Dan Dearing proving why he's one of the most dynamic players in the league Photo: Everett Delorme/Volleyball Source MagazineThe Ryerson Rams men’s volleyball team is now back in the glorious land that they found themselves in ’04 and ’05; they are the 2013 York Excalibur Champions.
The finals was a battle featuring arguably two of the most exciting players of the tournament facing off against each other with Ryerson’s Robert Wojcik going toe-to-toe with York’s Dan Dearing. With both players holding down the right side of the court, throwing down some big blocks and dynamic hits, as both players touch well over the 11’6 mark.
Unfortunately for the host, Ryerson was in full form in the finals, having just returned from a trip to Cuba in which they faced off against the Junior National team and certain Cuban National team players. York was also hindered by the loss of starting left side, Ray Szeto, who fell to injury only two points into the opening match of the tournament.
In the end, Wojcik came out on top, with not only the Championship Trophy, but the MVP of the tournament as well. Dearing for his part was named to the tournament All-Star team along with teammate Marko Dakich. Other members of the All-Star team were Ryerson’s Alex Dawson and Aleksa Miladinovic, Western’s Garrett May, and Windsor’s Kyle Williamson.
The York Excalibur is known for its diverse playing field, as teams from the OUA, AUS, and RESQUE compete for the trophy. With Memorial University travelling from Newfounland and l’Université de Sherbrooke travelling to Toronto, this year was no different. What made this year particularly special was the presence of Budo University, who made the trip all the way from Japan.
Unfortunately for our continental travellers, the voids left by three starting players marred their performance, although the Japanese team did manage to finish on a strong note, defeating Queen’s 3-2 (25-19, 23-25, 25-20, 25-27, 15-13) in the consolation final.
The final standings of the tournament go as follows:
- Ryerson University
- York University
- University of Windsor
- Western University
- Budo University
- Queen’s University
- Université de Sherbrooke
- Memorial University