LIONS BOW OUT TO BLUES IN OUA BRONZE MEDAL GAME AT GOLDRING

It was a cold, snowy night outside in downtown Toronto, but there were fireworks aplenty inside the Goldring Centre, as the York University Lions men’s volleyball team looked to earn its first trip to the U SPORTS championship in eight years.

None of the four sets were decided by more than three points, but a struggling service game that plagued the Lions late in the season reared its ugly head in this one. York committed 23 service errors to Toronto’s 11, and fell in four sets (22-25, 23-25, 25-23, 23-25) to see their nationals hopes nipped.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• There was little separation between the clubs early, as they alternated scores for the first six points. Toronto led by as many as four in the opening set at 11-7, but the Lions battled back to tie it at 16. After they took a 21-20 lead, the Varsity Blues reeled off five of the final six points and took a 25-22 victory.
• The second set was close once again, especially early, as neither team led by more than two. The Lions trailed 9-7 and went on a 6-0 run – highlighted by three kills from Andrew Tauhid and one from Josh Fadare – to go up 13-9. The final point was of the run was scored after a Toronto timeout, and the Blues would respond thereafter. They eventually grabbed a 16-15 lead, and would never trail again in the second en route to a 25-23 win.
• The third set was more of the same, with neither team leading by more than two points the entire set. A Tauhid kill gave the Lions a 19-17 lead. Later, some great hustle from Alexander Ko saved a point and Fadare scored a point off a Toronto blocking error making it 22-20. He then slammed the winning kill six points later to finish a 25-23 Lions victory and extend it to a fourth set.
• The teams went toe-to-toe once again in the fourth. Toronto eventually took a 9-7 lead before York rallied to tie it 9-9 on a Tauhid kill. After the Lions went down 16-14, they reeled off three straight points to take the lead, the latter on another kill from Fadare. The Lions led it 20-18, looking to send it to a fifth and deciding set, but the Blues scored five of the next six to take a 23-21 lead. York cut it to 24-23 on a service error from the Varsity Blues, but Toronto came back on the next point and won it courtesy a Mitchell Neuert kill, ending the Lions season with another 25-23 set victory.
• Tauhid and Fadare combined for 50 of the Lions 63 kills (79%) on the night. Tauhid paced the team with 27 in what turned out to be his final game as a Lion.

LOOKING AHEAD:

After advancing farther than they have in eight years, the Lions will now look ahead to 2023-24. They can essentially run it back, with the exception of Tauhid. That one loss is a big one, however; his absence will create a gaping hole on the outside for the Lions.