The York University Lions men's volleyball team defeated the Guelph Gryphons 3-1 in a difficult match on Sunday (Jan. 18) at the Tait McKenzie Centre.
 
The Gryphons won the first set 25-15, while the Lions won the second 25-17, the third 25-18 and the fourth 25-22.
 
Ray Szeto (Sutton, Ont.) opened up the scoring with a kill on the Gryphons. After a series of service errors from the Lions and kills from Gryphon players Patrick Strzalkowski and Marc Wilson, the Gryphons began to take the lead 6-5. Throughout the first set the Gryphons held onto their lead as the Lions were not able to surpass them. When the Lions hit the Gryphons with their powerful spikes, the Gryphons were able to save them with diving digs and bouncing blocks. The Gryphons threw the Lions off-guard and held their lead to the end, finishing the set with 10 kills and four errors while the Lions finished with seven kills and seven errors.
 
Marko Dakic (Mississauga, Ont.) hammers a kill on the Gryphons with the start of the second to open up the scoring. The Gryphons fought back with their own kill from Marc Wilson as the start of the game continued in a back-and-forth battle. The score was either tied or one side was up by one point in the nerve wrecking battle to keep the Lions in the running for the win.
 
With the score tied at 9-9 Josh Henderson (Scarborough, Ont.) pounded two outstanding kills on the Gryphons to put the Lions in the lead. The Lions kept a steady lead until the end of the game when Alexander Duncan-Thibault (Scarborough, Ont.) had the final kill, allowing York to tie the game 1-1. The Lions ended the second set with 15 kills and four errors, while the Gryphons ended with nine kills and seven errors.
 
The Lions took the lead early in the third with kills from Henderson, Dakic and Szeto. The Lions continuously hammered spectacular kills on the Gryphons throughout the third, consistently holding on to a three-point lead. The Lions ended the third with three consecutive kills (two from Szeto and one from Dakic) to take the set 25-18. The Lions had a total of 16 kills in the third and five errors, while the Gryphons had nine kills and five errors.
 
The fourth and final set mimicked the second, with a score that was consistently tied or had the Lions leading by one point. The Lions were finally able to break the tie after an error from the Gryphons, a service ace from Szeto and two kills from Grant Lynch (Waterloo, Ont.) and Henderson, changing the score to 11-7. The Lions clutched the very tight lead until the end, despite taunting kills from the Gryphons' Zachary Newman. The Lions ended the fourth with 14 kills and five errors, while the Gryphons ended close behind with 10 kills and six errors.
 
The York leaders, who demonstrated power and determination, include Henderson with 18 kills, two aces and one block; Szeto with 14 kills, two aces, two blocks, and eight digs (the highest for the Lions); and Dakic with nine kills and one block. Nikola Sandic (Etobicoke, Ont.) had a whopping 41 assist –the most of the game.
 
Leaders for the Gryphons include Marc Wilson with 11 kills and five blocks; Patrick Strzalkowski with 10 kills, two aces and two blocks; and Joshua Green with five kills. Kyle Richards had the most assists for the Gryphons (23), while Eric Wagner had the highest amount of digs of the game (17).
 
The Lions and Gryphons are now tied for fifth in the OUA standings, both having a record of 8-6.
 
The next game for the Lions is against the No.2 nationally ranked McMaster Marauders on Friday (Jan. 23) in Hamilton, Ont.