GUELPH, Ont. – The No. 10-ranked Gryphons men’s volleyball team suffered their loss of the season on Friday night (Dec. 1), with the No. 6-ranked McMaster Marauders winning in straight sets (25-18, 25-22 & 25-23) in a marquee matchup at the Guelph Gryphons Athletics Centre. With the result, the Gryphons fall to 7-1 on the season, while McMaster improves to 5-2.
The Gryphons were led by former U SPORTS All-Canadian, Jonny Pickett (Wiarton, ON), who had a team-high 13 kills on the night. The left-side hitter produced 12 of his 13 kills in the final two sets which saw the Gryphons go toe-to-toe with the two-time defending champions, and fall by just 5 points combined. The third set proved to be the most tightly contested, with neither team able to take a significant advantage. This play continued until the last few points which saw the Marauders take four of the final six points, capturing the set and the victory.
The Gryphons and Marauders will square off once again in Guelph on Saturday night (Dec. 2) with an 8pm game time in a match that will mark the final game of the winter semester for both teams before the exam/Christmas break.