The York University Lions men's volleyball team continued their regular-season-ending set with a highly-anticipated rematch against the Western Mustangs on Super Bowl Sunday, coming off a tough five-set loss to Western on Friday. York entered the season finale officially sixth in the OUA, with Western close behind in fifth, making the contest an important measuring stick as the post-season approaches.
A win would keep hope alive for the Lions to host a first-round playoff match on Feb. 20, while a loss would guarantee they would play on the road for the duration of the postseason.
York edged out a tight opening set 25–23 after a back-and-forth battle that featured 12 ties. The Lions pulled ahead early behind strong attacking from Dennis Cota and Chris Hoffman, but Western stayed close and tied it at 19-19. York responded with a 5-1 run, capped by a Western attack error to make it 24–20. Despite three straight points by the Mustangs to cut the deficit to one, the Lions closed out the set on a Hoffman kill to secure the two-point win, 25-23, and go up 1-0.
Western took control early in the second set and never looked back, building a steady lead that kept York chasing the set throughout. Despite kills from Alex Dorling and Cota to momentarily slow the momentum, the Mustangs continued to capitalize on attack errors and strong net play to widen the gap. Cade Smith and Cameron McGregor anchored Western's offense as the set slipped further out of reach for the Lions, who were unable to string together a sustained run. Western closed out the frame decisively, taking the set 25–13 to tie the match 1-1.
York responded with their strongest stretch of the match in the third, jumping out to an early 7-4 lead and setting the tone right away. Cota was a key presence at the net, delivering multiple kills as the Lions steadily widened the gap, while strong blocking from Dorling and rookie middle Simon Oberbuchner helped shut down Western's attack. The Mustangs struggled to recover as York maintained control through consistent offense and disciplined play. The Lions closed out the set with relative ease, taking it 25–18 to keep go up 2-1 and put the Mustangs on the brink.
The fourth set remained competitive throughout, with both teams exchanging points in the opening stages. York began to pull away behind a strong service run from Colby Soolsma, who helped York score three straight after a Western service error to make a 10-9 game a 14-9 game, highlighted by consecutive aces to give the Lions that five-point cushion. Consistent offense from Hoffman and Cota kept Western on their heals, while York capitalized on key Mustangs errors late in the set. The Lions maintained their lead and sealed the set on a Soolsma kill, taking it 25–21 to secure a 3–1 victory over Western.
LOOKING AHEAD:
With the victory, the Lions keep their first-round hosting hopes alive. If both the Western Mustangs (at Toronto) and Guelph Gryphons (vs. Waterloo) drop their final two regular-season contests, York would earn the opportunity to host a first-round playoff matchup against either the Mustangs or Gryphons.
