The York University Lions volleyball teams were on the road to St. Catharines on Friday, to take on the Brock Badgers at the Bob Davis Gymnasium. The women’s team, entering play at 9-7, aimed to secure their 10th win of the season and fifth straight, while the Brock women, boasting a 13-3 record, were looking to extend their win streak to six. On the men’s side, the Lions, sitting at 12-4 coming in, were looking to claim their 13th win to match their best season since their 2006-07 while the Badgers came in at 6-10 with their playoff hopes hanging by a thread.
Women’s Match:
The Lions started strong, taking an early 3-0 lead in the first set thanks to a service ace from Meghan Kociancic, followed by two attack errors by Brock. However, the Badgers quickly responded with kills from Emily Foest and Sadie Dick, tying the set at 3-3. York continued to battle with kills from Brooklyn Parliament and Julia Typa and eventually took a 10-6 lead, but Brock pushed back ahead with key serves from Mackenna Knox and kills by Charlotte Ross and Emily Foest. The Badgers eventually took a an 18-14 lead and claimed the first set 25-20 to go up 1-0.
In the second set, Brock gained control early, capitalizing on service errors and attacking errors from York. Charlotte Ross’ serves were especially effective, contributing to Brock’s early 9-2 lead. Despite the setback, York’s Typa and Victoria Herrington posted two of York’s kills in the set. with Typa also landing two service aces. However, Brock’s sustained its attack from the jump, thanks in part to Dick, as the home side took the second set 25-16 to put the Lions on the brink.
The third set saw York come out with renewed energy. Kociancic provided excellent set-ups for her teammates, including a crucial kill by Typa, while Kociancic herself amassed an ace. With a 7-0 run early in the set, York quickly took control. Parliament and Amarai Endes added to the offensive momentum, and Brock struggled to recover, as evidenced by a series of unforced errors and poor set-ups. York dominated the set, securing it 25-11 to get back in the match, down 2-1.
The Lions kept the pressure on in the fourth set, with Kociancic continuing to facilitate strong offence. However, Brock’s attack, led by Foest and Knox, made a comeback. Kills from Foest and a couple of errors from York helped Brock initially take the lead. But York responded. Scores from Parliament’s and Typa brought them back into the set, though Brock ultimately managed to edge them out, winning the set 25-21 and securing a 3-1 victory.
Men’s Match:
In the first set, York came out strong with a kill from Alex Ko, assisted by setter Jasraj Nijjar that gave York the lead. The Lions built momentum with solid attacks from Ko and Chris Hoffman, back after missing last weekend with injury. Despite some errors from York, including a service error by Ko, the Lions maintained control, with Dennis Cota contributing a kill and a strong block. The set closed 25-18 in York’s favour thanks to a late 9-2 run as they went up 1-0 and won their 8th consecutive set.
The second set was a back-and-forth battle, with Brock initially pushing ahead 5-4. However, York’s offense, led by kills from Ko and strong serves from Hoffman and Cota, quickly regained control. Brock mounted a late comeback with a couple of key kills by Kylar Code and Liam Strong, but York kept their composure, closing out the set 25-21 with an ace and a kill from Ko and the set-sealing kill from Hoffman to make it 2-0 Lions.
The third set saw York score three straight points to break a 4-all tie and go up 7-4 thanks to an ace from transfer Nathan Luken and kills from Nijjar and Hoffman.. Brock’s offense struggled to find consistency as York’s defense, spearheaded by a solid block from Ko and Cota, made it difficult for the Badgers to score consistently. With Brock unable to break through York’s strong serve receive and offensive pressure, the Lions closed out the match with relative ease, 25-18.
York’s well-rounded performance on both offense and defense was key to their success. Jasraj Nijjar set up numerous successful attacks to the tune of 36 assists, while Hoffman and Ko led the charge offensively, with 12 and 11 kills, respectively. York’s offence was not only electric, but efficient, hitting a robust .418 on the night, stacking up 42 kills on just 79 total attacks with only nine attack errors.
LOOKING AHEAD:
York will remain in St. Catharines to face the Badgers once again on Saturday night. The women’s match will kick off at 6:00 pm, followed by the men’s match at 8:00 pm. Both games will be streamed live on OUA TV.
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