The York University Lions women's volleyball team lost to the No. 5 Toronto Varsity Blues in four sets on Sunday (Nov. 16) at Tait McKenzie Centre.
 
The Blues grabbed the first set win after an intense deadlock was broken at 32-30. The Lions managed to win the second set with a score of 25-18. However, the Blues emerged victorious after the final two sets ended with the team scoring 25-19 on both. The Varsity Blues continue their winning streak with a seventh consecutive win.
 
Both teams were equally matched in all sets. The Lions serve gave them the first point of the game through Kirsten Dillon (Surrey, B.C.).
 
After a groggy start, the Blues found their rhythm and looked comfortable with a 6-4 lead.
 
A block from Aleks Arsovic (Burlington, Ont.) gave the Lions a chance to get back into the game from an 8-13 deficit to a two-point margin at 11-13.
 
Substitute Octavia Wong (Thornhill, Ont.) came in to make crucial digs and serves, giving the Lions a lead at 19-17. The two-point gap extended until the next timeout at 22-20.
 
The Lions committed a few mistakes that deuced the scoreline at 24-24. The deuce carried on seven times until an attempted dig by the Lions grazed the net for two seconds before falling into the Lions' court.
 
Veneta Mincheva (Gatineau, Que.) executed spikes that made a key difference in the second set.
 
The Blues initially led at 12-7 until errors on the defence allowed the Lions to equalise. Brittney Hopley (Thornhill, Ont.) stepped up several times to successfully kill the play. Hopley ended with eight kills and four blocks in the whole game.
 
Digs by libero Jennifer Black (London, Ont.) solidified the Lions' lead, eventually helping to win the set. Black achieved an impressive tally of 29 digs by the end of the contest.
 
The third set started with the Lions taking the lead. Hopley's serves caused confusion in the opposition's court. However, the Blues found the game-changing equaliser at 12-12. Eventually, the visiting team took the lead at 16-12 before the next timeout.
 
Powerful spikes from the Blues stunned the Lions, who were unable to defend the incoming hits. The Blues ended the set with a win.
 
The fourth set saw both teams equally competitive again. The Lions gained the edge in a 7-4 lead. At the next timeout, the Blues overturned the deficit to a 16-12 advantage. The home team had trouble defending the spikes that cost them the set and the whole game.
 
The Lions will be playing against the Ottawa Gee-Gees on the road on Sunday (Nov. 23) at 2pm.