The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men’s volleyball team fell 3-1 to the No. 9 nationally ranked Guelph Gryphons on Friday (Jan. 19) evening in Guelph.
Set scores in the match were 19-25, 25-20, 20-25, 17-25.
The battle between both teams made for a quick-paced environment throughout all four sets of the contest. Both teams exhibited true determination and composure in the point-by-point match, with the Gryphons finding a way to pull away late in their three set wins. Toronto found success at the service line scoring five aces to zero for the Gryphons, while Guelph excelled with a proficient attack tallying a .377 hitting percentage.
For the Blues third-year outside hitter Hunter Arulpragrasam led the way with a game-high 22.5 points from 20 kills, two service aces, and one block assist. Following behind was first-year outside hitter Jack Li who tallied 11 points on 11 kills.
Second-year setter Michael Hickey guided the Blues offence recording 36 total assists, while also adding two service aces, one kill, and three block assists. Meanwhile, the Toronto defence was was paced by both Hickey and second-year outside hitter Jayden Talsma with each registering eight digs.
On the other side of the court, Gryphons outside hitter Jonathan Pickett led his team with a team-high of 19.5 points from 19 kills and one block assist.
The Blues are right back on the court tomorrow (Jan. 20) evening, to face-off against the McMaster Marauders in Hamilton. First serve for the match is scheduled for 8 p.m. All the action can be caught online via oua.tv.