The York University Lions men’s volleyball team may have defeated the Queen’s Gaels in straight sets Friday night at Tait McKenzie Centre, but the vistors made them earn everything they got.
All three sets were tightly-contested, each finishing with the minimum two-point margin of victory. Josh Fadare and Andrew Tauhid once again lead their team in kills, each posting 12 kills and two aces. Luke de Greeff played brilliantly in the second and third sets, completing 11 kills and three assists. Meanwhile, Jasraj Nijjar had a terrific performance as a playmaker, putting up 28 assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Both teams tussled back and forth in the first set, with very little separation between the two squads. Fadare jumpstarted his electrifying performance with three consecutive kills as the Lions took an early 8-6 lead. The set then took a turn when the Gaels fought back to tie the set at 19-19. But, with the Lions up 24-23, Fadare converted the set-deciding kill, set by Nijjar, to seal the deal for the Lions, who took the first 25-23.
York took a narrow lead in the second set thanks to forced errors by the Gaels from the Lions’ blockers. Tauhid and Luke de Greeff both stepped up in the second with four kills each. The set went into extra points as the Lions could not put away the pesky Gaels. With the Lions again on set point, up 27-26, Alex Dorling flew above the net to make the final block to win the set for the Lions, 28-26.
The Lions maintained their intensity into the third set, taking an early 8-3 lead with Tauhid, De Greeff and Fadare all completing kills. In similar fashion as the previous two sets, the Gaels fought back to narrow the gap. The Gaels could never quite tie it up until late in the set when they finally did even things at 23. Just when it looked like Queen’s may stay alive and force a fourth set, Nijjar set up Fadare for a critical kill to make it 24-23 Lions. Then, it was the other outside hitter, Tauhid, with a massive block to seize the victory for the Lions who won the set 25-23 and the match 3-0.
LOOKING AHEAD:
The Lions are right back at it Saturday, hosting the Gaels in the second game of this weekend double-header. They will look to make it three straight victories dating back to before the holiday break, and solidify their spot in the OUA playoff picture. Action begins at approximately 8:00 pm from inside the Tait McKenzie Centre.
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