The York University Lions volleyball teams concluded their weekend road doubleheaders on Saturday, as the men took on the McMaster Marauders and the women faced the Lakehead Thunderwolves. The men fell to the Marauders 3-1 (22-25, 25-17, 22-25, 16-25), while the women scored a 3-0 straight-set victory over Lakehead (25-.
A win for the No. 9 nationally-ranked men would be their tenth on the season, allowing them to keep pace with the Queen’s Gaels and Windsor Lancers atop the OUA standings. A victory over the Thunderwolves would not only mean a weekend sweep, but would also keep the women no worse than tied for the final OUA playoff spot.
Men’s Match
The Lions, donning their alternate, grey-camo uniforms, got off to a 7-5 start, led by two kills from Alex Ko. York continued to dictate the set, threatening to run away with it late, up 20-14. While the Marauders hung around to make the set close at 22-19, the Lions closed out with a 3-0 run, topped by a Dan Lefleur ace to claim the set 25-19 and take a 1-0 lead.
York opened the second set by building an 8-7 lead, thanks to two kills from Chris Hoffman. From that point, the Lions went on a 12-2 run, with Hoffman recording two more kills and Ko recording a pair of aces. The Lions would clinch the set when Alex Dorling sent a kill right down broadway, giving the Lions the set by a 25-15 count and, with it, a 2-0 lead.
The teams traded points to an 8-8 tie to open the third. McMaster would then take control, going up as much as six, 18-12. Lions coach Jordan Taylor called a timeout, and from there, the visitors would rally. York, led by three kills from Ko, went on a 9-3 run to make things even at 21-all. The Marauders, however, would claim four of the next five points to win the set 25-22 and force a fourth set, trailing the Lions 2-1.
After the teams split the first four points of the third, McMaster scored four straight to take a 6-2 lead. The Lions were able to work their way back in it, forcing seven errors as the set became tied at 17-apiece. McMaster would respond, however, with an 8-1 run to ice the set 25-18 and force the fifth and deciding set.
The Lions got off to a 6-2 start in the fifth set, as Dennis Cota had two kills and a block in that span. Cota would notch two more kills, with another two from Ko and one from Dorling was enough to win the set 15-8 and secure a 3-2 victory.
Women’s Match:
The Lions were able to take the first set 25-19, giving them a 1-0 lead in the match. York had eleven kills to Lakehead’s eight, while forcing the home team into nine errors.
York continued their momentum, recording a match-high 13 kills in a 25-22 set victory. The Lions had their highest hitting percentage of the match with .167.
The Lions dominated the Thunderwolves throughout the third set, going on a 5-0 run to start. York would then take leads of 11-4 and 17-6 before a brief Lakehead rally made it 19-13. The visiting side would close the book from there, taking the set 25-16 and scoring their second straight 3-0 victory.
The Lions won with an all-around, efficient effort. Victoria Herrington and Amarai Endes, each had seven kills. Herrington would also record three aces, while Endes had a hitting percentage of .389 on 18 total attacks and did not make a single attacking error. Quinn McTavish had five kills, while Julia Typa and Brooklyn Parliament had four apiece. Jessica Reynolds and Meghan Kociancic showed their defensive aptitude by recording nine digs each.
LOOKING AHEAD:
Both sides return home next weekend to host the RMC Paladins in a doubleheader, beginning Friday, with start times that night of 6:00 pm for the women and 8:00 pm for the men.
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