Coming off back-to-back wins over the Trent Excalibur, the Lions faced a new challenge Saturday afternoon, up against the Guelph Gryphons. 

The Lions held on to begin the first, going back and forth initially. The Gryphons were able to pull away though, fighting for a 12-5 lead. Multiple kills from Yulia Glazko and Alexis Miller pushed them back within two at 18-16 late in the set. With the Lions creating strong blocks at the net, and a critical service ace from Quincy Johnson, the match got even closer, knotted at 23-23. However, Guelph fought off the late Lions rush to capture the set 25-23 and went up in the match 1-0. 

The Lions opened the second set with a 6-2 run, taking advantage of Guelph errors. However, Guelph battled back to reclaim the lead at 12-9 midway through, forcing a Lions timeout. With the Gryphons pulling away further, the Lions tried to remain in striking distance but were overwhelmed by the Guelph force. The Gryphons went on a huge run after another Lions timeout and captured the set 25-17 to make it a 2-0 match. 

With the Lions' backs against the wall, the third began with both sides trading points evenly. Knotted at 8-8 though, the Lions pulled away with a 12-8 lead, capped by more kills from Glazko, but the Gryphons stormed back to knot it back up at 14-14. Out of the tie, Guelph went on an 8-3 run, forcing another Lions timeout. Despite a Lions response, Guelph ultimately forced a definitive set point and finished off a 25-18 set win, taking the match 3-0.

LOOKING AHEAD:
The Lions will return to the Tait McKenzie Centre for a rematch against the Guelph Gryphons tomorrow with the opening serve scheduled for 11:00 am.

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