The York University Lions men’s volleyball team fought back from a 2-0 deficit to force a fifth and deciding set against the Windsor Lancers on Friday night at Tait McKenzie Centre. Unfortunately, they were unable to complete the final leg of the comeback, dropping the final set 18-16, and, thus, the match 3-2 in what was the match of the year for the Lions.
This game marked a chance for the Lions to stay within striking distance of the second place in Lancers. A pair of victories over Windsor would mean the Lions would earn second by virtue of owning the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Lancers. It also signified the long-awaited, much-anticipated return of Josh Fadare, but the Lions also lost Luke de Greeff in the second set with an apparent knee injury
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Lancers took the opening set 25-20, snuffing out a late York rally after a slow start from the home side. A number of errors, both service and attack, contributed to the Lions downfall in the first set. 14 of Windsor’s 25 points came via Lion miscues, leading them to a first-set win and 1-0 advantage.
Things stayed tight until the midway mark of the second set, at which point a 6-0 Windsor run gave them a 19-12 lead. Windsor forced several more attacking errors to extend their lead, and the second set ended with Zach Albert getting the kill to win the second for the Lancers, 25-15.
There wasn’t an inch of separation to be found for either team in the third. York won the set 25-19, with the introduction of Shaun Schonert proving prudent in the middle. That forced the Lancers into making some uncharacteristic mistakes. That allowed the Lions to gain some breathing room late, and they earned a 25-19 third-set victory to halve the deficit to 2-1.
Three straight Lion service errors gave the visitors a 9-7 lead in the fourth. Windsor took a 17-12 lead, looking poised to finish York off in four sets. However, Andrew Tauhid had other plans, earning four kills – including the set-capping kill – late in the frame. The Lions won it 25-23 to tie the match 2-2.
Both teams played the final set close to the vest, not allowing the opponent a chance to run away with things. The Lions were up 14-12 while on serve with a chance to end it. However, key mistakes by Tauhid and Fadare kept the Lancers alive. Then, with Windsor up 18-16, an errant attack from Schonert was the dagger, as Windsor earned the two point advantage necessary to take a 3-2 victory over York and clinch second in the OUA.
LOOKING AHEAD:
The Lions will look to earn the split with the Lancers when the two teams battle it out on the second night of the back-to-back. Action gets under way at 8:00 pm from the Tait McKenzie Centre.
PLAYOFF PICTURE:
A Lions win plus a Toronto loss clinches third for York and a matchup with Queen’s in the first round.
Wins from York and Toronto or a Lions loss, mean York will drop to fourth. If York and Toronto tie with 13 wins, the Varsity Blues would earn the No. 3 seed due to sweeping the Lions in the season series.
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