The York University Lions men's volleyball team played a competitive match but was defeated by the Ryerson Rams 3-1 on Saturday evening (Jan. 16) at the Tait Mackenzie Centre.

The Lions played a hard fought match with their cross town rivals, but came up just short as the Rams offense was in top form. Arthur Szwarc (Toronto) was once again above the net as he racked up a game high 18 kills and 21 total points.

The first set was controlled by the Ryerson Rams as they jumped out to a quick lead, which they held on to take the first set 25-14 over the Lions. Uchenna Ofoha of the Rams was a dominant force as he found the holes in the Lions defense, and attacked them on multiple occasions.

In the second set the Lions were the team to take a commanding early lead, as they were led by Arthur Szwarc and Tyler Covach (Kitchener, Ont.) both of which had an array of powerful kills. The Lions continued their dominance in the second set up until late, when the Rams began to crawl back into the set led by Lucas Coleman who rose up to spike down a few momentum shifting kills. The Lions lead diminished as the Rams closed the gap and eventually tied the second set 24-24, this Rams comeback was diffused by Covach who obliterated back to back volleys to regain the lead. A Spencer Kingzett (Penticton, B.C.) rejection captured the second set for the Lions 29-27, tying the match at 1-1.
The Rams began the third set with an impressive offensive attack led by Coleman and Robert Wojick, who combined for 37 points on Saturday evening. The Lions could not muster up a defensive strategy to shut down these two, which resulted in a 25-18 third set win for the Rams.

The fourth set was a back and forth chess match, as both team exchanged points. The Lions Alexander Duncan-Thibault (Scarborough) pitched in scoring eight points and six kills. The high flying Rams offense overpowered the defensive front of the Lions, out killing the Lions 58-48. The Rams Dawson, Reardon, Wojick and Coleman totalled 51 kills, which couldn't be stopped resulting in a 25-23 fourth set.

The Lions record after Saturday's loss is 5-8 and the Ryerson Rams improved to 9-2 and continue to climb in the OUA standings. The Lions are back on the court January 17^th when they are downtown to take on the University of Toronto Varsity Blues at 8pm.