LIONS FALL IN FRONETIC FIVE-SET SHOWDOWN WITH BADGERS IN TAYLOR’S OUA COACHING DEBUT

Just over eight months after winning their first playoff game in eight years, Saturday afternoon marked the first page of a new chapter in the history of the York University Lions men’s volleyball team, as first-year head coach Jordan Taylor led his new team into its season opener against the Brock Badgers. 

Suffice it to say, Taylor got all he bargained for, and then some, in what was a five-set thriller in his OUA coaching debut.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Lions secured their first point on the scoreboard thanks to a service error by the Badgers However, little went the Lions’ way from there as the Badgers claimed the first set with a commanding score of 26-13.
• The second set was a nail-biter, with both teams refusing to yield an advantage. In a thrilling climax, Richard Housen’s decisive kill secured the second set for the Lions by a score of 28-26, resulting in a 1-1 tie.
• The intensity of the third set mirrored the previous two, as both teams engaged in a fierce battle, stifling each other’s offensive attempts. However, as the set progressed, the Badgers managed to seize the advantage, ultimately taking the set 25-18
• Jasraj Nijjar ignited the fourth set with a spectacular kill, setting the tone for an outstanding performance by both teams. The Lions clinched the fourth set in a thrilling fashion, needing extra points to do it, with a final score of 31-29, tying the match at 2-2 and sending it to a winner-take-all fifth.
• The tension was palpable for both teams in the final set with the match on the line. The Badgers pulled away late in the shortened set, 15-10 to take the match in five sets.

LOOKING AHEAD:

The two teams will collide again in the second of this season-opening doubleheader tomorrow, November 5. The sequel is set for 3:00 p.m. at the Tait McKenzie Centre.