Lancers ready for the moment as they head to OUA finals Friday

Men’s volleyball team hosting OUA final for the first time in 40 year history. CTV Windsor’s Bob Bellacicco explains.

It’s a busy week for players on the University of Windsor men’s volleyball team. They are hosting the OUA championship match Friday night at the Toldo Lancer Centre but also have schoolwork to contend with.

“Work hard and get my schoolwork done and then come into here and play a game in this environment, it’s like a breath of fresh air,” said 4th year setter Markus Law-Heese, who was named OUA Player of the Year.

“To be recognized by all the coaches, well respected coaches, it feels good,” Law-Heese said after averaging 9.6 assists per set this season, second in the OUA.

He says the gym got louder through the first two rounds of playoffs and looks forward to what Friday holds.

“The finals, who knows what’s to come? And now we’re ready to put on a show and play our game. But I’m excited to see what this environment can bring,” Law-Hesse said.

Head coach James Gravelle has enjoyed watching Law-Heese develop and says his setter is an x-factor at the net. “His defence and serving, he brings the whole package and probably most importantly his leadership.”

That leadership helped the Lancers finish with the best regular season record in the country at 18-2 and earn James Gravelle the nod as OUA Head Coach of the Year.

“The work that our coaching staff has put in, countless hours is, it’s it’s really a special recognition, and it’s from our peers,” Gravelle told CTV News.

Gravelle has preached ‘one at a time’ all season long, a fixture on their white board. Win or lose, it’s an approach that has allowed the Lancers to stay in the moment.

“It’s something that we are detached from and so, we will do every single thing that we can, and within our process, and then the outcome will be what it will be,” Gravelle explained.

The process has qualified Windsor for the national championship in Brandon, Manitoba in two weeks. Gravelle hasn’t looked beyond Friday but knows he wants the win so his team can have a high seed at the USports tournament.

“I’m not even sure what that’s going to mean as to who we may play but you always want to be a higher seed in the tournament.”