The York University Lions volleyball teams opened their 2024-25 seasons with dominant performances, securing a pair of 3-0 win over the Trent Excalibur in Peterborough.
Women’s Match:
In the opening set, the Lions jumped out with a fast-paced offense and efficient scoring from Julia Typa, who led York with a remarkable .435 hitting percentage, contributing 13 kills in the game. Amarai Endes also made her mark, recording 7 kills on an impressive .545 hitting percentage to give the Lions a 25-14 win in the first set.
York continued their aggressive play in the second set, as Typa and Endes led an 11-kill effort that saw the Lions outpace Trent 25-19. While Trent mounted a more competitive challenge, York’s balanced play and strong setting from Meghan Kociancic, who added six service aces on the night, kept the Lions in control.
The third set was tightly contested, with the Excalibur pushing York to the edge before the Lions finally clinched it in extra points, 28-26, securing the straight-set victory. A three-headed monster on the outside was huge for York with Endes, Typa and Quinn McTavish combined for 25 of York’s 32 kills.
Men’s Match:
Much like the women’s match, the Lions men’s side took control early, scoring nine of the first 13 points. Alex Ko played a pivotal role early, racking up four kills and a block assist in the first half of the opening set. However, the Excalibur fought their way back into the setlate in the proceedings, cutting the York lead to 20-18. The Lions, though, reeled off five of the next eight points to take the set, punctuated by a kill from Ko.
The second set saw the visitors assert themselves in the attack game from the opening serve and not let off the gas pedal. York went up 6-1 on kills from Ko, Aidan Labossiere, Dennis Cota and Alex Dorling. The Lions led by as many as 10 late in the set thanks to a 10-4 run from York to make it 24-14 in a set they won 25-16 courtesy of a Trent service error.
The third set, meanwhile, was more tightly-contested as Trent claw back after being down early. York took an 8-2 lead and led at one point 13-8, before a 12-7 spurt from the Excalibur tied it at 20. The Lions were gifted two points after the tying score thanks to a service error and a bad set, giving York a 22-20 lead and costing Trent a timeout. The timeout did very little to stem the tide, however, as the Lions concluded the match on a 5-0 run, and came out of the timeout with a kill from Martin Prinsloo, another from rookie Chris Hoffman and then an ace from Labossiere to close it out.
It was a great night for York on offence, as they pounded out 34 kills, led by Ko with 12 and Hoffman – in his OUA debut – with seven.
LOOKING AHEAD:
The Lions return to action tomorrow for a rematch against Trent, looking to secure a sweep of the weekend double-header. The women’s match is set for 4:00 pm with the men’s match beginning at 6:00 pm.
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