The York University Lions volleyball teams once again did battle with the Western Mustangs on Saturday evening in the second-half of their doubleheader, after the women fell 3-1 and the men won 3-2 in Friday night’s matches.
Women’s Match:
Lions head coach Jennifer Neilson called a timeout with the Lions trailing 4-0 early in the opening set. The Lions began to build some momentum out of the timeout. With the Mustangs up 9-3, the Lions went on a 5-0 run made possible by kills from Julia Typa and Victoria Herrington. The Lions furious rally eventually led to a close 24-23 score in favor of the Mustangs. the visitors would clinch the set when Qunicy Johnson’s attack was blocked by Rachel Gray. The 25-23 set victory gave Western a 1-0 lead in the match.
In the second set, it would be York that marched out to an early lead, as with the score tied 2-2, the Lions scored for straight points. The march was led by kills from Typa and Quinn McTavish, putting York up 6-2. The set would be back-and-forth from there, eventually winding up tied at 20-20. York would close the set with the final five points. A kill from Typa, two Western errors and two kills from Brooklyn Parliament, including the set clincher, gave York the set, 25-20 to tie the match 1-1.
Down 3-0 to open the third set, York would match Western with a 3-0 run of their own to tie the set at 3-3. From there, Western would score 14 of the next 16 points to lead 17-5. The hole was too deep for the Lions to overcome, as Western marched to a convincing 25-13 set victory and a 2-1 lead in the match.
York got as close as trailing Western 12-10, but Western would pull away late to win the set 25-17 and win the match 3-1.
Men’s Match:
The Lions and Mustangs trudged to a 12-12 score as each team exchanged momentum in the match’s opening set. With Western threatening to pull away leading 18-13, York rallied back. A Western error, A kill by Chris Hoffman and four from Alexander Ko brought the set to a 19-19 tie. Ultimately, it would be the Mustangs who would win a competitive opening set 25-23 and take a 1-0 lead in the match.
Western opened the second set with a 2-1 lead, but York took control from there, taking the lead and not falling behind the rest of the way. Martin Prinsloo – coming off a career-high 21 kills Friday night – had two aces and a pair of kills, while Hoffman, Ko, Alex Dorling and Dennis Cota pitched in with kills of their own in what was a 25-19 set win for the Lions to tie the match at 1-1.
Much like the second set, the third set started with Western taking an early lead, with York rebounding to take grasp of the set. After they went up 3-1, York scored eight of the next nine points to take a 9-4 lead. The closest Western got was 20-18, with the Lions leading by as many as five on several ocassions. York would close the set with a Ko kill to win the third by a score of 25-21 to take a 2-1 lead.
With the score tied 12-12 in the fourth, York went on a 8-1 run to seal the Mustangs fate. Ko had three kills and setter Aidan Labossiere recorded an ace. While Western proved to be a tough out, York would stave them off to clinch the set 25-21 and win the match 3-1 to remain undefeated on the campaign and match last season’s win total of six.
LOOKING AHEAD:
The Lions volleyball teams will hit the road next weekend on November 15 and 16, facing different opponents for the first time this season. The women’s side will face the Ottawa Gee-Gees, while the men will face the Nipissing Lakers. Times for the women’s matches are 7:00 pm on November 15, and 4:00 pm on November 16, while the men’s matches go at 8:00 pm on November 15 and 4:00 pm on November 16.