LIONS SUFFER HEARTBREAKING LOSS, U OF T COMES BACK TO WIN IN FIFTH SET

A 2-0 set lead and a 14-10 advantage in the final set wasn’t enough to give the York University Lions women’s volleyball team the victory over the No. 4 nationally ranked Toronto Varsity Blues.

The loss drops York’s record to 7-2 – and Toronto improves to 9-0.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• It was a back-and-forth game that featured many momentum swings and tight sets between the best two teams in the OUA East. Ultimately, Toronto found their way back from 0-2 down to barely squeak out wins in the final two sets.
• Toronto held the lead for most of the first set, but the Lions came up with big plays when it mattered at the end of the set. Four straight points – two kills from Christina Piccinin and two from Alisa Trubyuk – brought York back from trailing 22-21 to win the first set 25-22.
• The long sets would be a theme for the night. York won the second set 25-20, after again trailing 19-18 just moments earlier.
• Then, Toronto found a way to finish with back-to-back set wins. In the fifth set, York had six straight match points but couldn’t find a way to put away U of T with a 14-10 lead. It resulted in a comeback for Toronto to keep their 9-0 record in tact. They won the last two sets 25-23 and 16-14.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

• While the Lions dropped their game, they scored nearly as many points as possible without coming away with the victory. It was reflected in their stat lines – Olivia Kim and Jessica Reynolds had more kills than anyone else in the game, with 24 and 19 respectively.
• Chiara Da Silva also led the game with 60 assists, and Tyneille Swaby had a game-high 25 digs.

LOOKING AHEAD

The loss was just the second of the year for the Lions, and they’ll get a chance to avenge that loss with another match-up against No. 4 Toronto on Saturday. It’s a 2 pm start at Tait McKenzie Centre.