Men’s Volleyball | 10/29/2026 12:00:00 PM
When looking back on last season, York University Lions men’s volleyball head coach Jordan Taylor was impressed by what his team accomplished.
“It’s never a bad season when you make the playoffs,” said Taylor, who kicks off his fourth season at the helm of the program Friday night in Guelph. “We came across the two-time defending champions (the Queen’s Gaels) and battled really hard but came up short.
“To some extent, we were disappointed, but it was a necessary battle scar for our returning core pieces.”
Despite losing several key pieces, the Lions do return a core led by Chris Hoffman on the outside and Dennis Cota in the middle. Hoffman, the 2024-25 OUA rookie of the year now enters his third season in the red and white, while Cota, an OUA all-star in each of his four seasons and a 2024-25 U SPORTS second team all-Canadian, returns as one of York’s four eldest statesmen alongside veteran libero Anders Say, new starting setter Aidan Labossiere and outside hitter Daniel Lafleur.
“He might be the most physical player in the OUA,” Taylor said of Cota. “He’s a bona fide pro, he’s ready to go pro and we’re lucky to have him back for another year.”
The Lions bench boss believes the early playoff exit last season is only going to fuel those who were a part of it to make sure it doesn’t happen again this time around.
“We’ve talked about the trials and tribulations of building a program, and they were part of an emotional loss last season, but that is only going to bolster our program’s experience moving forward,” Taylor said, “and I’m confident that experience will pay dividends.”
The Lions took their preseason on the road twice this fall, first heading to Abbotsford, B.C. – half an hour outside Lafleur’s hometown of Surrey – for a three-game tournament at the University of the Fraser Valley.
“It was amazing on a lot of fronts,” Taylor said. “Going on the road, travelling early in the year, it allowed us to gel, build new relationships and make deeper connections with one another, so it was really important for our group.”
Another element of the trip for the Lions was getting to see several recent alumni from the Lower Mainland area who got an opportunity to come watch the new iteration of the team in action.
“We saw some familiar faces and some proud York men’s volleyball alumni,” Taylor said, speaking of the recently departed Colby Soolsma, Shaun Shonert and Jordan Gazzola and 2025 graduate Noah Halladay. “That was really cool to see them and reconnect and have that support from across the country.”
On the court, the Lions went 4-4 in eight non-conference matches, going 2-1 on their trip through B.C., and beating the Toronto Varsity Blues – who went 18-2 a season ago and enter the season ranked sixth in the country – in five sets in their preseason opener. The team droppied a pair of five-set matches to Queen’s and Brandon at the Smola Cup in Kingston and wound down the preseason with a 3-1 win over the TMU Bold on Friday night.
“I think we asserted ourselves as a contender,” Taylor said without hesitation. “We showed that we’re in the mix in the OUA and across the country. Overall, we gained some phenomenal experience, expanded our brand, and put a lot of teams on notice.”
As for the group as a whole, Taylor has coached teams in previous years that brought with them an “ultra com competitiveness.” This year’s squad is “more attuned” with each other.
“It’s a totally different vibe,” he said. “The feeling in the locker room is very different, and it’s not for good or bad, it’s just different.”
As for the roster itself, one point of emphasis for Taylor when he took the job at York in 2023 was to build a big, physical team, and the Lions enter this season as one of if not the tallest team in the country.
“That was always an objective for our coaching staff,” he said. “We are very physical, we are very athletic, and it’s a very exciting time for our program.”
Despite losing eight players off the 2025-26 roster – including setter Jasraj Nijjar, who exits the program as its all-time leader in assists with 2,526 – it is now time for new names to make their mark on the program this season and beyond.
“We graduated some important pieces, but that doesn’t mean the void is empty,” Taylor said. “We have a new core of some pretty special players, so we have a nice mix that has led to a very balanced dynamic, and one that I think York Lions fans are going to grow very fond of.”
Among the pieces joining the aforementioned veterans are the likes of veteran outside hitter Alexandru Ignat, who enters his third year of eligibility but fourth year with the program, along with second-year middle blocker Simon Oberbuchner and third-year opposite hitter Bodhi Jones.
“Bodhi is ready to be a starter now,” Taylor said of the Kauai, Hawaii native. “He’s developed well over the last two years and is ready for the limelight, and he’s someone who has all-star potential.”
While getting off to a strong start is important, Taylor and his team are focused on peaking at the right time heading into the postseason.
“We’re trying to make sure we’re playing our best volleyball in February,” he said. “We’re making sure we’re developing the right way, building team cohesion and building our culture.
“Our expectation is to be in the playoffs, and obviously you have to earn that, so, is a good start important, sure, but we have a bigger agenda.”
As for what Taylor thinks this team is capable of?
“I think these new-looked Lions will turn some heads, and we encourage people to come see for themselves and be a part of our journey.
“It should be a pretty special season.”
The first serve of the 2026-27 season flies Friday in Guelph at 7:30 p.m., in the first of a two-game opening-weekend set. You can watch both games live on OUA TV.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login