The York University Lions men's volleyball team moved into sole possession of first place on Saturday afternoon after a thrilling five-set victory over the Queen's Gaels at the Tait McKenzie Centre.
The Lions have won four straight matches and improved their record to 7-1 with the victory, putting them two points ahead of the Ryerson Rams and with a game in hand. The Gaels fell to 4-4 with the loss and are part of a three-way tie for third place.
The first set was tight, with neither team holding a lead of more than two points throughout. One of the two teams pulled even with the other on 14 different occasions in the set, and it was Queen's that won back-to-back points from 24-24 to win the first set 26-24. The second set was much different as the Lions dominated the second half thanks in part to a six-point run and they took it 25-14 to level the match at 1-1.
The Lions were unable to build on the momentum generated with the big second-set win and instead it was the Gaels who took control of the third and ultimately won it 25-21. Queen's raced out to a 15-7 lead in the fourth and appeared destined for the match win, but the Lions then won 14 of the next 16 points to turn the deficit into a 21-17 lead. They did not allow the Gaels to get closer than two points after that, and the Lions extended the match with a 25-23 win.
The two teams traded points back and forth to start the fifth until 6-5 Queen's, as the Lions went on an eight-point run to build a commanding 13-6 lead. Three points later the match was over after the Lions won the fifth 15-7.
Andrew Shotbolt had a monster game for the Lions, recording a match-high 22 points on 20 kills, one service ace and two assisted blocks.
Andrew Tauhid chipped in 19.5 points, setter
Logan Mend tallied 46 assists to go along with 7.5 points and 11 digs, and
Jade Cameron led all Lions with 14 digs.
Queen's was led by Jack Peckham's 17 points, including six blocks, and 13.5 points from OUA scoring leader Markus Trence.
The Lions will play for their fifth straight victory on Sunday afternoon when they host the RMC Paladins at the Tait McKenzie Centre in a match beginning at 4pm.
