The York University men's volleyball team played in front of a packed house and despite a hard-fought battle, were defeated by the Ryerson Rams 3-2 on Friday evening at Tait Mackenzie Centre.
 
After three consecutive points in the first set, it was Toure Nwakwesi who earned the first point for the Lions. The game was tied early on 6-6, but the Lions led the Rams 16-11 by the midway break. The Lions stayed strong and held onto their lead to win the set 25-19.
 
The Lions started off the second set strong and after a kill by Andrew Tauhid and a foul by the Rams, the Lions led 16-7 midway through the set. Despite an early lead, the Rams came back from a nine-point deficit to tie the game 17-17. The anticipation was high as both the Lions and the Rams exchanged points and each had a chance to lead. However, it was the Rams who led 24-23 and earned the final point to win the set 25-23.
 
The Rams were able to pick up a 2-1 lead after a 25-17 win at the end of the third set. The Rams started the set strong and managed to lead early by a score of 11-6 and continued their lead as they entered the midway break with a score of 16-9. The Lions tried to comeback but it was the Rams took the lead 2-1 into the fourth set.
 
The Lions needed to win the fourth set to keep the game going and they did just that. Unlike the third set, it was the Lions who led throughout the first half of the set and entered the midway break with a close 16-15 lead. Near the end of the set, the Lions led the Rams 24-21. Despite a point by the Rams, the Lions earned the set point after a long rally with a kill by Tyler Covach to win 25-22 and take the game to a deciding fifth set.
 
The fifth and final set was extremely close, but it was the Rams who led the Lions 8-7 into the mid-set break. The Lions managed to tie the game four more times until picking up a 14-13 lead after a huge kill by Andrew Shotbolt. The Rams tied the game 14-14, and after a kill by Covach, a Lions block went out of bounds which allowed the Rams to tie the game once again 15-15. The game continued to go back and forth, but after a point by the Rams, it was the Lions who tied the game 17-17 with a kill by Tauhid. The Rams however, earned two more points to win the set 19-17 and defeat the Lions 3-2. Although the Lions came away with a loss, the Lions put up a battle and had the fans standing to applaud their efforts.
 
Leading the way for the Lions was Nwakwesi with 19.5 points, 18 kills and three digs. Tauhid earned 17 points, 17 kills and eight digs, and Logan Mend had 52 assists, five kills and nine digs. The Rams were led by Xander Ketrzynski who has 30.5 points, 29 kills, and four digs.
 
The Lions will be back in action on Nov. 25 to take on the Toronto Varsity Blues at Tait Mackenzie Centre. The game is scheduled to start at 3pm.