WINNIPEG – Hamish Hazelden put down 23 kills for the University of Calgary Dinos in the bronze medal match of the 2022 U SPORTS Men's Volleyball Championship, but it was the Sherbrooke Vert & Or who claimed the national medal with a 3-1 (25-23, 31-29, 22-25, 25-22) win at the Investors Group Athletic Centre.

Rookie Jonathan Portelance led the Vert & Or as he recorded 58 assists and added nine digs. Second-year Sherbrooke outside hitter Joan David tallied 20 kills on 48 attempts, playing a key part in his team's victory.

Hazelden, who played his final game as a Dino was named to the tournament all-star team following the conclusion of the gold medal match. Also graduating from the program this year is Jacob Reid, Parker Siroishka, Tomas Sorra and Taylor Tracey.

"The seniors did a great job all year after not playing since 2020. They led by example, especially in the last month when we were on the road for so long, and they got us to a national championship," said head coach Rod Durrant." To play for a medal with this group is special, the young guys have had a chance to learn a lot from them and I believe they will be better for it."

The two sides came out of the gate with a tight battle in the opening set. Tied at 22-22, Sherbrooke took three of the next four points to claim the first set by a score of 25-23. After trailing for the majority of the second set, the Dinos took a late 24-23 lead. The Vert & Or and Dinos went point-for-point until eventually, Sherbrooke took the set by a final score of 31-29. Calgary managed to force a fourth set after taking the third by a score of 25-22. The RSEQ sealed the fourth set and the bronze, winning by a score of 25-22.

As a team, the Vert & Or recorded a .297 hitting percentage in the match while the Dinos posted a percentage of .293.

"I am extremely proud of the way we battled, we prepared well for what was a very challenging match today," added Durrant.

Sherbrooke came into the weekend ranked No.5 and defeated OUA silver medalists, the Toronto Varsity Blues, in their quarterfinal match up 3-1. The Vert & Or were forced to play for bronze after a straight-set loss to the Trinity Western Spartans in the semi-finals before the win over Calgary to secure a third-place finish, their first national medal since 1978.

Calgary began with their tournament with an upset victory over the No.2 ranked McMaster University Marauders in four sets. The Dinos were defeated in the semi-finals by their Canada West rivals from the University of Alberta 3-1. The loss to Sherbrooke will see them finish the championship in fourth place.