The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men’s volleyball team defeated the Guelph Gryphons in straight sets on Saturday, Feb. 1 at Goldring Centre.
Toronto dominated the game from start to finish, completing a clean sweep with set scores of 25-19, 25-17, and 25-13. The Blues built momentum throughout the match with their strong offensive and defensive play. Guelph struggled to find answers as Toronto’s consistent attacks and tight blocking controlled the pace of the game.
Hunter Arulpragasam led the way for the Blues with 13 kills, with Iannis Toma adding nine and eight from Jayden Talsma. Arulpragasam recorded an impressive .722 hitting percentage while adding six digs and 14 points. Talsma contributed two aces and 10 points. Setter Michael Hickey picked up 36 assists. Lukas Humle came up big on the defensive side of the ball, tying for the team block lead with two solo blocks and three assists.
The Gryphons were unable to find a rhythm offensively, finishing with a .078 hitting percentage. Alexander Odle and Nathan Peters stood out for Guelph, combining for 14 kills.
With this victory, the Blues improve to an 11-5 record, good for fourth place in the OUA, while Guelph moves to 8-10.
The Blues are back next weekend to take on the Trent Excalibur in their final two home games of the regular season. Action starts at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 7. Tickets for Varsity Blues home games are available at varsityblues.ca/tickets, while matches are also streamed on oua.tv.