The York University Lions men's volleyball team hosted the Trent Excalibur on Friday Night at the Tait McKenzie Centre in their first home match of 2026, the opener of a six-game homestand and the front half of a two-game series with the Excalibur. The Lions came in looking for their first win of the calendar year after losing back-to-back matches to the Windsor Lancers to open the winter term.

After the teams split the first six points, a 7-1 run gave the Lions an commanding 10-4 lead. lead thanks to good offensive displays early on from Alex Dorling. The Lions continued to carry the play for the remainder of the first set, eventually taking it 25-19 to take a 1-0 lead.

Dorling showed his two-way game with a key block in the second set to allow the Lions to go on an early run to take a 7-4 lead. This was short-lived as the Excalibur came back to tie it at 8-8. It was a more competitive set throughout with multiple ties and lead changes, but the Lions managed to go on a late run, Dorling continued to the dazzle in the second half with Denis Cota coming up big as well, as the Lions took the second set 25-21 and put Trent on the precipice.  

The Excalibur bounced back in the third set, however; they went on multiple runs after they trailed the Lions 5-4, starting with a 4-0 spurt to take an 8-5 lead. The teams traded blows for the majority of the third thereafter, giving the momentum to the away side, which gave allowed them to dictate the tempo and claim a comfortable 25-18 set win to cut the Lions lead in half.

The Excalibur carried the momentum into the fourth set going on an early 4-0 run. With Trent leading 22-19, the teams again exchanged points to make it 24-21 and put the Excalibur one point away from forcing a decisive fifth. However, a Trent service error, an Alex Ko kill and a Ko cross-court ace just inside the line tied it at 24. On the next point, a pair of veterans combined on a key block, with setter Aiden Labossiere and middle Richard Housen Jr., got hands on it at the net to give York the lead and put them a point away. That's when Labossiere, in for starting setter Jasraj Nijjar, fed Chris Hoffman for the game-winning kill, as the Lions managed to stave off three set points, score five straight and come back to win the fourth set 26-24 and take the match 3-1. The Lions now stand at 7-6 and in sixth place in the OUA.

LOOKING AHEAD: 

The Lions host the Excalibur again on Saturday night at 8:00 pm. You can get your tickets here or stream the match live, free of charge on OUA TV.