A Closer Look at the Men’s Volleyball Team on their historic season
Men's Volleyball U SPORTS Bronze vs Manitoba 3/15/26 (By Justin Han)
When it comes to sports, seasons are often measured through statistics. The wins, the losses, the medals. For the University of Windsor’s men’s volleyball team, the 2025-26 season was about more than just the results.
Inside the gym, there was a different kind of energy. Each player understood their role, moving with purpose regardless of the score. The ball moved seamlessly from one player to the next, each touch deliberate, every rally unfolding with a quiet precision. The crowd of fans followed every moment, responding to every shift in the game.
For the players on the court, it wasn’t magic. It was years of work, trust, and a shared understanding of what it means to wear the Lancer jersey. For some, it was their final season and one last opportunity to define what it means to be a Lancer.
“It means something to wear that shield on your chest. It’s something that protects you. It’s something that unites us altogether,” fifth-year veteran and setter for the team, Markus Law-Heese says.
Markus Law-Heese
Group Huddle: Men's Volleyball QF vs Waterloo 2/20/2026 (By Justin Han)
With a 21-5 regular season and playoff record, an OUA silver medal, and the program’s first-ever U SPORTS quarterfinal win, the Lancers secured their best season in program history, finishing fourth in the country.
Many look to head coach James Gravelle when discussing the team’s success on the court. A Lancer alum himself, and with over ten years of experience leading the program, Gravelle credits the players for their commitment.
“It’s a group who is made up of individuals who are really driven to be the best they can be. The amount of work that the student athletes have put in, in the pursuit of excellence, has been pretty remarkable,” he said. “And so just to be a part of that and to help things along and steward the program during this period has been an honour.”
The OUA playoffs saw the Lancers face the Queen’s Gaels for the second year in a row, battling for the Forsyth Cup. Ultimately, the game ended in heartbreak, as the Gaels clinched gold against UWindsor for a second straight season.
“There’s a lot of pain in that, but that’s sport. That’s what makes it so great. Nothing’s guaranteed,” says coach Gravelle.
Turning the loss into motivation, the Lancer’s kept their heads held high heading into nationals the weekend after.
The team learned they would be hosting U SPORTS Nationals for the first time in program history last year. For some players, the decision to return was already in motion. For others, it changed everything.
Despite graduating and completing the NCLEX, Anthony Ivanovski chose to put his nursing career on hold for one final season. Hosting the nationals in his hometown as a Lancer was an opportunity he didn’t want to miss as he closed out his volleyball career.
“The fifth year was about enjoying the struggle,” Ivanovski said. “Even when we were losing, we were still having fun. It was pretty much enjoying every aspect of the game.”
Number 7: Anthony Ivanovski celebrates a point
Men's Volleyball U SPORTS Bronze vs Manitoba 3/15/26 (Justin Han)
That mindset helped define the team’s experience for their final games at nationals. The gym was packed with students, fans, and fellow Lancer athletes and the Lancer Cheerleading team who showed up in full force all weekend. For the players, it felt like having an extra person on the court, with the Lancer community fueling their performance.
“Our team agreed to just treat it like a celebration of everything that we’ve done,” Law-Heese said of the final games. “Everyone that was coming out to watch us was just in full support of us. It was the most electric gym I’ve played in. I was happy we finally got a win in front of that crowd.”
While the team-first mentality is not unique to the men’s volleyball program, the support from other student athletes highlighted the strength of the Lancer community during those final games.
“That connectedness and togetherness of everyone in the Lancer family was really cool,” Coach Gravelle said. “In the fifth set, once we really started to take control and you could see that we were going to win that match, there was just a lot of pride.”
As the season came to a close, the players reflected on the past five years with the team and the way it’s shaped them. Now as they head in different directions, one thing remains: their identities as Lancers.
Not only are the players close on the court, but their bond extends beyond the games. Coming from Brazil, Gustavo Siqueira found a second family within the team, making the transition as an international student easier.
“I’m proud to be part of this environment and having the opportunity to meet so many people and creating my own family here, with my friends and the Lancers,” he says. “I feel like personally I was able to create that impact like we did with the volleyball team.”
Number 20: Gustavo Siqueira
Men's Volleyball QF vs Waterloo 2/20/2026 (By Justin Han)
Staying in Canada in pursuit of citizenship, Siqueira ends his volleyball career as Player of the Year, with his name added to the Olympic Shield as the university’s top male athlete. He now joins teammate Markus Law-Heese, who received the same award the year before, highlighting the leadership that has come from within the program in the last few years alone.
For Law-Heese, his biggest accomplishments lie in the relationships he’s built and the reputation the program has achieved as one of the most respected in Canada over the past five years he’s spent on the team.
“All 20 guys are leaders, and all 20 guys are followers. That’s what makes our group special,” Law-Heese noted. “Our team has built a good reputation and some good dominance to the point where I think Lancer’s volleyball is going to be a front runner in U SPORTS for the next decade.”
As a core group of veteran players graduate, the team enters a new chapter, passing the torch to the next generation with a clear sense of what this program is capable of. Along with it a shared commitment to not just compete but to leave things better than the way they found it. Excitement from both the graduating players and the coaching staff is evident as the team heads into a new season.
Photos by By Alex Binaei
“Don’t take anything for granted. Be ready for the ups and downs of volleyball because the season is long,” Law-Heese says. “Experience all those winning moments and learn from all those tougher moments.”
“As Gravelle likes to say, we would leave the place better than we found it. So I feel like we did that, and I feel like that can be viewed as a success in its own way.” said Ivanovski.
With some familiar and some new faces appearing on the court, the legacy left behind by this year’s graduating class will continue to shape the program for years to come.