The York University Lions women's volleyball team put up a fight but was ultimately outmatched by the undefeated Ryerson Rams, who continued their perfect season with a 3-0 victory over the Lions at the Mattamy Athletic Centre on Saturday night.
The match began as a close affair between the two squads, and a kill by
Melissa Smillie made it 10-9. But from there the Rams scored 10 of the next 11 points to take a commanding 20-10 lead that they turned into a 25-12 opening-set win.
The second set was tighter throughout its majority, with the Rams holding a three-point lead at 18-15. But once again the home team proved dominant down the stretch, and they took a 2-0 lead by winning the set 25-17.
The Lions came out with more firepower in the third set and led in the middle of the frame, at 13-11. The Rams went on a four-point run to take a 15-13 lead, and then strung together another seven points after 17-16 to get to match point. The Lions saved one, but Janelle Albert nailed the final kill for a 25-17 win and a sweep of the match.
The Lions did not generate much offence throughout the match, and their leading scorer was
Kayla Clennon with nine points, all on kills.
Mimi Demski led all Lions with 14 assists, and
Cadence Currie put up eight digs.
The Rams had four players score in double digits. Albert led the way with 13.5 points on 10 kills, two service aces and three assisted blocks, and Theanna Vernon added 11 points on five kills, two service aces and four total blocks. Lauren Veltman added 10.5 points and Cailin Wark had 10.
The Rams extended their lead atop the OUA East with 22 points and a perfect 11-0 record. The Lions fell to 7-3 with the loss and are now in a three-way tie for second place with Queen's and Toronto.
The Lions will be back in action on Sunday afternoon in another important OUA East Division match-up, travelling to the University of Toronto to face the Varsity Blues. The two squads are currently tied in the standings with 10 points each, and the match could go a long way in determining playoff positioning. First serve is scheduled for 3pm at the Goldring Centre.
