Ring Szn: Men’s Volleyball Wins U Sports Championship

Julianne Jones

Yes, you read that right. The Spartans men’s volleyball team are national champions!

On March 19, Burridge Gymnasium at McMaster University echoed with screaming, crying, and laughing as the Spartans proclaimed victory over Sherbrooke University in three straight sets. The moment was electric and absolutely unforgettable for the players, coaches, and fans who watched their journey to nationals unfold before their eyes on that court.

The 2022/2023 season started with immediate changes for the boys. After losing their head coach of 15 years, Ben Josephson, the Spartans were expected to quickly adjust for the season ahead. With this being a transitional factor for the team, interim co-head coaches Adam Schreimer and Ben Ball were prepared to help the team get back on top.

Following a devastating loss in the national championship last year, graduating seniors Jesse Elser and Brodie Hofer were prepared to take back what they left behind last season.

the car rides, and the video sessions—I tried to enjoy those things.” Actually winning a championship title was not the only thing on Elser’s radar at this point, he was just meditating on the little, enjoyable, and routine things about being a Spartan.

Elser and Hofer agreed that the journey to nationals was extremely challenging. As a team, the Spartans faced a lot of adversity this season. From Josephson’s resignation to Isaiah Olfert leaving the team to return to Winnipeg, Mathias Elser getting a concussion, Brodie Hofer breaking his finger, Jesse Elser hurting his back, and Cory Schoenner injuring his femur—the obstacles did not seem to stop. Hofer said that “it felt like every two weeks we had some major announcement.” The team had no choice but to keep pushing past each difficult circumstance.

To add onto the adversity the Spartans were facing, the future of their season became even more worrisome when they started losing games. “After Christmas, we lost [about] six straight sets and four straight games,” Elser said. “Which hasn’t happened in this program for a long, long time, so people were starting to talk. Then after we lost to Alberta in the CanWest final, no one expected us to win [nationals].” Nevertheless, Elser and Hofer seem to believe that the doubt and adversity only pushed their desire for success more.

The Spartans played a total of three games throughout the tournament. They kicked off their weekend against Montreal with a quick, three-set win to put them into the semi-finals. Following this, the Spartans played McMaster for a ticket to the finals. The Spartans showed up and showed out for this match. Hofer achieved a total of 17 kills, Elser with 15, and Henry Rempel with 12. Safe to say that the Spartans dominated at the net that game.

loss against them. “They played us three times this season,” he said, “and they beat us pretty badly in all those matches, so I wanted another crack at them. I felt like we were more prepared than ever to play them.” Clearly, Sherbrooke had other plans.

Despite this, the Spartans knew that Sherbrooke was also a tough match-up. In the championship finals last year, the Spartans battled with Sherbrooke, which resulted in a heart-wrenching loss for the Spartans. Their team has not changed since last season, so the Spartans could not neglect the fact that it would be a tough match. Elser shared the team’s perspective, saying, “I don’t think we were discrediting Sherbrooke. When the draw came out earlier that week, we thought ‘Oh, Alberta’s going to have a tough time against Sherbrooke.’ We didn’t expect them to beat Alberta—we just knew it was going to be a battle.” Sure enough, Sherbrooke dominated Alberta in three straight sets, and just like that, they were on the road to the finals alongside the Spartans.

Early on in the weekend, the two senior players did their best to instill confidence and value into each of their teammates. Hofer shared, “Jesse and I worked really hard at encouraging the guys to remember that, whatever you do, do it with full commitment and full trust because everyone on the floor, and on the team, is here because we trust you.”

While they instilled a lot of trust in their teammates, they also ensured that their efforts were nothing short of forceful. It was all about leading by example for Elser and Hofer: “Me, Brodie, Mathias, and Henry lead by example. We were like, ‘We’re going to have no regrets and we’re going to play as well as we possibly can,’ and the other guys followed. Our middles played incredible, our liberos played incredible, all our serves were awesome. We tried to share what we learned from past nationals but there’s only so much that words can actually do.” It is easy to see that trust and leadership were at the core of their performance that weekend.

“In the championship finals last year, the Spartans battled with Sherbrooke, which resulted in a heart-wrenching loss for the Spartans. Their team has not changed since last season, so the Spartans could not neglect the fact that it would be a tough match.”

Even

There was a slight turn of events leading up to the finals—that being, Alberta falling to Sherbrooke in their semi-finals match. Given the fact that Alberta was seeded No. 1 going into nationals and that the Spartans faced them in the CanWest finals, many assumed that they would be watching the Bears and the Spartans go at it again. Hofer admits that he would have liked to play Alberta again after their recent

It is clear that the leadership was extremely beneficial for their teammates, but Elser and Hofer also accredited the success of a national title to the younger players’ ability to adapt. With Elser and Hofer being the only seniors this season, the two players praise their teammates for handling the national stage with courage and confidence. Hofer shared, “Jesse and I have played in a lot of important matches, but for the most part, Mathias had never set full-time for an entire season and every other guy has never played in a final before. There is definitely a different feel and that CanWest final helped them experience what was coming at nationals.”

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Elser and Hofer worked together to be the guiding forces that would help bring this team to success— and it paid off.

The Spartans were nothing short of amazing in the finals. The statistics board was filled with impeccable performances by the Spartans after the riveting three-set win over Sherbrooke. Elser rang in nine kills and a whopping seven aces, Hofer with nine kills and two aces, Rempel with five kills and two aces, and Jackson Corneil with four kills and one ace. Another extremely notable performance was from Mathias Elser who raked in 26 assists, 2 kills, and 1 solo block. The achievements do not end there—Hofer and Jesse Elser were both named tournament all-stars and Mathias Elser received tournament MVP honours. After carrying around the weight of last season’s finals loss, Jesse Elser and Hofer felt an overwhelming sense of relief following the win. “Basically, for a year straight, I was constantly reminding myself, ‘You don’t want to feel like you did in March 2022 because that feeling sucks.’ I felt so relieved—and tired—after this win. I was almost too tired to celebrate because it felt like I gave everything I had this season, physically and emotionally, and then we finally did it; so, all I wanted to do was rest,” said Hofer. As members of the starting six last season, Hofer and Elser finally got to unload the weight of last year’s loss and soak in the joy of the 2023 national title. and moving toward their futures. Elser shared his experience, saying, “Before this tournament, I was 0–2 in national finals, but I said in my senior speech that I wouldn’t change any part of my experience here. I just loved it so much. I have so much respect for everyone involved—whether that’s teachers, staff, therapists, teammates, players, and coaches, I just love the people, and I love the place.” Elser even mentioned that, in his rookie season, he lost nationals in that exact gym with interim coach Schreimer, so achieving victory with Schreimer was a special, unforgettable moment for Elser.

It is admirable to see the way the Spartans prevailed after facing such difficult circumstances this season. Nevertheless, each difficulty made them stronger as a team. For the seniors especially, it was not only the gold medal that made the win so rewarding—it was the journey toward the win that made it unforgettable.

With a national title under their belt, Elser and Hofer seem satisfied with leaving their legacy at TWU