LIONS MAINTAIN PLAYOFF POSITION DESPITE SWEEP BY LANCERS

In a rematch of what was an epic final weekend of the 2022-23 regular season at the Tait McKenzie Centre last February, and with an eye on extending their win five and improving their current playoff prognosis, the York University Lions men’s volleyball team headed West to Windsor for a face-off against the Windsor Lancers in the first of a back-to-back weekend set on Friday night.

The Lancers, meanwhile, came in at 10-6, and were riding a win streak of their own after a pair of victories over the Western Mustangs last weekend.

Last season, the first matchup between the two OUA powerhouses saw York overcome a 2-0 deficit to force a fifth set in which they held match point before eventually falling in extra points. The Lions followed the up with a convincing 3-1 win the next night, their set victories coming 25-15, 25-19, and 25-8, to solidify a fourth place finish in the OUA.

On this night, however, the young and rebuilding Lions succumbed to a suffocating Lancer attack and fell in straight sets

.HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The opening set saw Alex Ko kickstart York’s scoring with their first kill, levelling the scoreboard at 1-1. Further contributions from Alex Dorling and Daniel Lafleur gave the guests a narrow advantage at 6-5. However, the Lancers took the lead midway through the set and began to assert themselves late, widening the gap to 20-14. That deficit proved insurmountable for York, as they ultimately conceded the set 25-19 to Windsor, giving them a 1-0 lead.
• The second set proved to be a tightly contested affair from the outset As both teams traded points, a kill from Richard Housen levelled the score at 5-5. The teams continued to swap scores, until it was 11-10 Lancers, the beginning of a 5-0 run for the Lancers, putting them up 15-10. That run was all Windsor needed to propel them to a 25-16 second-set victory and a 2-0 lead.
• Windsor scored the first six points of the second set, and never looked back. The Lions drew no closer than five points behind at 13-8, as the Lancers cruised to a 25-14 victory to sweep the match 3-0 and halt the Lions win streak at five.
• With the TMU Bold losing to the Toronto Varsity Blues, the Lions still own the ninth and final OUA playoff spot, with TMU holding a game in hand on the Lions.

LOOKING AHEAD:

The Lions and Lancers will reconvene tomorrow night, with first serve scheduled to fly at 8:00 pm.