York Lions’ men’s volleyball team looked to continue their winning ways on January 26 as the Queen’s Gaels came to town for their second and final matchup with York this season. Echoing the results of their first matchup, York once again prevailed over the Gaels with a 3-1 win.
A wild first set saw neither team pull ahead by more than three points at any point as both squads traded blows to begin the game. After coming back from 24-22 down to tie the game at 25-25, York’s Alexander Duncan-Thibault was able to make an impact in the final moments as he collected three of the Lions’ last five points to give York a 32-30 opening set victory.
While the first was a tough act to follow, the second set did its best to match the excitement of the first. The Lions found themselves battling from behind for the first half of the set but still, Queen’s was unable to pull away after securing leads of 10-7, 12-9.
After tying the score at 16-16, the Lions’ offensive attack led by Ray Szeto, overwhelmed the Gaels en route to a slim 25-22 second-set win.
The third set once again was a tight contest in which neither team could build any momentum. After falling behind 16-13, the Lions fought back to tie the game up at 16-16 and would eventually gain a slim 22-20 advantage after a massive smash by Marko Dakic.
It was then the Gaels’ turn to take a swing, and they answered with a three-point run to take the lead 23-22. Once again, both teams would find themselves tied at 25-25 at the end of the set, but with a quick two-point rally, Queen’s was able to pull within one set of York with a 27-25 win.
In the fourth and final set, the Lions were finally able to gain some traction when a 7-3 run put them ahead 14-10. But their streak would not be long-lived. Queen’s slowly clawed their way back into the set, catching the Lions at 17-17 and setting up yet another dogfight for the set’s final points.
In the waning moments of the set, it was once again Duncan-Thibault who stepped up in a major way for the Lions. A massive spike put his team ahead 23-21. Then, following his teammate Jade Cameron’s ace, Duncan-Thibault was able to come up with a big block to secure the 3-1 York win.
With the win, the Lions now have a cozy two-game lead in the standings over Ryerson for fourth place with a record of 12-4, while the Gaels are left on the outside looking in on the Ontario University Athletics playoff picture.
With just four games remaining on the OUA schedule, York has already clinched a playoff position, and with a bit of luck, the Lions can still finish anywhere from first to fifth place.
The Lions continue their march toward the playoff s in London, Ontario where they will take on the Western Mustangs on February 1.
Ryan McCabe
Sports and Health Editor
