Matt Dionne | Sports and Health Editor
Featured image: The women fall to 6-6 while the men advance to 8-3 after a pair of road games this weekend. | Courtesy of York Lions
The men’s and women’s volleyball teams had a pair of road games this weekend after having last weekend off.
On Friday, the Lions and Lionesses took on the Waterloo Warriors, then on Saturday were in Guelph to face the Gryphons.
The women played first and came out strong in the first set, never trailing en route to a 25-21 win to take a 1-0 lead. However, that was the only set they would win, as Waterloo would rally in the second and go on to win the next three-straight sets 26-24, 25-12 and 25-21, respectively, to take the match.
York’s leading scorer was Melissa Monkhouse, who put up 10.5 points with eight kills and two service aces.
The men played next, and they were out for vengeance. The first set in the men’s game was similar to that of the women’s, as the men jumped out to an early lead and never trailed en route to a 25-22 win.
The second set started similar to the first game as well, as Waterloo quickly jumped out to a 7-1 lead that the men could never recover from. The Warriors took the set 25-15.
Just as Lions fans were beginning to get a serious case of déjà vu, York turned up the intensity in the third set and quickly built a 6-1 lead. Waterloo was unable to catch up, and York took the set 25-19, once again never trailing.
The Lions had a chance to put the game away with a victory in the fourth set. York once again opened strong, scoring the first three points. It looked as if the Lions were going to cruise to another set victory.
However, with the score 12-8 for York, Waterloo scored five-straight to take a 13-12 lead. From there, it was a back-and-forth battle, as neither team could pull away. That is, until York went on a 5-1 run to take a 20-16 lead that Waterloo couldn’t chip away at. York would go on to win the set 25-22, also winning the match three sets to one.
The Lionesses were unable to get their offence going in Saturday’s game, as they fell to the Gryphons in straight sets. York’s leading scorer was Sarah Williams, who tallied seven points and seven kills.
With the loss, the Lionesses are now 6-6 on the season and are tied for third in the Ontario University Athletics, or OUA, East conference with 12 points.
On Saturday, the men were once again looking to avenge their female counterparts. The Lions came out roaring, opening the game with an 11-5 run that they rode all the way to a 25-22 victory in the first set.
York was even more dominant in the second set, never trailing en route to a 10-point victory that saw them just one set away from sweeping the match.
Guelph put up more of a fight in the third, as the score was tied at 15 through the first 30 points. Both teams would trade points from there, with the score tied again at 20. York would score the next three to take a lead and put them just two points away from winning the set and the match. The Gryphons would close the gap on the next point, cutting the lead to just two, but York would get those two necessary points to win their third-straight game and improve their season record to 8-3.
With the win, the Lions are tied for second in the OUA East with 16 points, just two points behind first-place Ryerson.
Both teams play again next Saturday when they’ll be in North Bay taking on the Nipissing Lakers at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.
