The York University men's volleyball team finished their regular season with a gripping 3-1 victory over the No. 2 McMaster Marauders (17-2) at the Tait McKenzie Centre on Friday night (Feb. 19).
 
The Lions started the game with a fantastic first set. Tim Jensen (Hamilton, Ont.) and Spencer Kingzett (Penticton, B.C.) dominated along the flanks of the court while Arthur Szwarc (Toronto) and Logan Mend (Naramata, B.C.) were an unstoppable team from the middle.
 
Jules Muhawe (Orleans, Ont.) also made an athletic dive to keep the ball in play and set up Mend and Szwarc midway through the action. He was credited with an assist for his efforts. The Lions kept a comfortable lead throughout the set and ended up with 1-0 lead winning by a score of 25-18.
 
The second set was tight with with non-stop action throughout. Alexander Duncan-Thibault (Scarborough, Ont.) and Tyler Covach (Kitchener, Ont.) played pivotal roles throughout the set and their impacts were noticeable along the offensive line. The set ended in a narrow 25-23 win for the Lions.
 
It was another nail biter in the third set as both teams were neck and neck for points. The Lions continued to play hard, but after the Marauders broke away with a timely three-point lead near the end of the set, the boys didn't have enough time to close the score. The set finished in a 25-23 Marauders victory.
 
With a 2-1 score heading into the third intermission, the Lions were eager to end the game in the fourth set. Thanks to a steady eight-point lead that was maintained throughout the set, the Lions came out on top with a 25-16 score that gave them the 3-1 victory.
 
Every one of the Lions played an exquisite game, in what may have been the team's most complete performance all season. Covach put up 13.5 points with 11 kills and one service ace, Kingzett put up 10.5 points with 10 kills. Although Muhawe didn't have any points to his name, he came up with some game-changing defensive digs to keep the team alive. Offensively, Mend supported the team with 42 assists.
 
Szwarc was impeccable on the front line and racked up an impressive stat total, finishing the game with 25 points, 18 kills, two service aces, and eight blocks.
 
For McMaster, Peter Khodkevych led his team with 16.5 points, Connor Santoni followed with 14 points, and Matthew Passalent had 13 points.
 
With the win, combined with a Windsor loss to Ryerson, the Lions clinched a spot in the 2016 playoffs, while the Marauders, despite two losses to close out the regular season finish in first place in the OUA Standings and will have a bye to the OUA's Final Four.
 
The Lions will find out their playoff schedule and opponent once the season concludes on Sunday (Feb. 21).