The York University Lions men's volleyball team will look to finish off their home schedule on the right foot Friday night when they welcome the Trent Excalibur to the Tait McKenzie Centre for the first and only time this season.
The match-up
York (6-10) vs. Trent (1-15)
Game details
Friday, Feb. 21 @ 6pm, OUA.tv
Home/Away records
York – 4-5 at home
Trent – 0-8 on the road
Streaks
York – Lost 1
Trent – Won 1
Last Meeting
York handed Trent their sixth straight defeat on Nov. 16, beating them 3-1. The Excalibur managed to take the second set, but York won the final two to seal the victory.
Luke de Greeff and
Andrew Tauhid led the Lions offence with 17 and 14 kills respectively.
QUICK FACTS
York
- Even volleyball down the stretch. While York's current record sits four games under a .500 record, they've played even volleyball for the last five games. They've traded a win for a loss in each of those games, bringing their record up to 8-14 this season. They will look to continue that momentum and end their home calendar on a positive note Friday.
- Straight set loss to Ryerson. This match marks the third time in York's last four losses that they drop a straight set decision. The one time they did not was on Feb. 7 versus U of T.
- Ace-ing the test. York's 113 aces leads the OUA, despite the team's fifth place standing in the league's East Division and its ninth place standing in total points scored.
- Everton aiming for repeat performance. Setter Dan Everton had a season-high 42 assists in York's last win over Trent, and leads the team with 308 on the season. He's coming off a season low of just five assists versus Ryerson, and had over 10 of them for each of the last five games before York's straight-set defeat at the hands of the Rams.
Trent
- Into the win column. After beginning the year with 15 straight losses, the Excalibur finally pulled out their first victory of the season in their most recent game on Feb. 11 when they hosted the RMC Paladins. A win at York would give them their first winning streak of the season.
- Winless on the road. While the Excalibur broke their winless streak in last week's contest, they're looking to make another first in their first game since that landmark win – a victory on the road. They have two more chances to do it: Friday night at York, and again at Nipissing in their season finale on Sunday.
- Last in offensive categories. Trent's struggles have come from their offence. Their 467 total points are over 200 behind the next closest OUA team (RMC), It's a similar story for their number of kills – sitting at 332; the next closest team has 504.
- Success in the final set. There have only been two games in the Excalibur's season that have extended to a decisive fifth set. But when they get there, they've shown an ability to perform. Both of those fifth sets were played against the Paladins, and they won one of those contests.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
York
Andrew Shotbolt – York's leading point scorer is always an offensive threat, and will play his final home game as a Lion. He is tied for the top spot offensively with 149.5 points, and has the most kills of any Lion at 123.
Toure Nwakwesi – Nwakwesi also plays in his final game as a Lion, as one of the two graduating seniors finishing up their athletics careers. He is sixth on the team in kills with 31.
Trent
Nicholas Taylor – The team leader in points, Taylor led the Excalibur in their first victory of the season. He had 24 kills, and 26.5 points while also adding five digs defensively.
Isaac Avery – The libero leads the Excalibur with 66 digs on the 2019-20 campaign, and tied for a team-high of five against RMC in Trent's first win of the season on Feb. 11.
