Varsity Athletics | 6/25/2026 1:15:00 PM

The York University Lions men's and women's volleyball teams will visit the Guelph Gryphons to begin the 2026-27 season, as announced by the OUA on Thursday afternoon.

York goes to Guelph for the first time since Feb. 4, 2023 when both Lions teams swept the Gryphons, with the men earning 25-21, 30-28 and 25-17 set victories to take the match, while the woman brought out the brooms with set wins of 25-18, 25-14, 25-23. In more recent play between the two teams, the Lions men's team split a pair of games on their home floor in January, while the Gryphons won both matches over the Lions on the women's side.

After playing Guelph on the opening weekend, the Lions will enjoy a bye in the second week of the season before opening the home portion of their schedule against the RMC Paladins. RMC will oppose the Lions in their home opener for the third time in six years since the pandemic cancelled the 2020-21 campaign. The York men's team has won each of its last nine matches against the Paladins with a 27-2 set record in those games. Meanwhile, the Lions women's team owns a 26-match unbeaten streak against RMC dating back to Mar. 2, 2013, and won 78 of 88 sets in those matches.

The Lions men's team is looking to get back to the postseason for a third straight year after bowing out to the eventual Forsyth Cup-champion Queen's Gaels in the first round a season ago. Conversely, York's women's side women's squad is shooting for a return to the playoffs for the first time since 2022-23 when they earned their first playoff win in 10 years with a thrilling five-set victory over the McMaster Marauders in Hamilton before losing to the 2023 Quigley Cup-champion Brock Badgers in the OUA semis.

Some other schedule highlights include: 

• York will host the Western Mustangs in their second home series of the season to conclude the fall term. The Lion men split the final two games of the season with Western a year ago, while York will look to avenge a sweep at the hands of the Mustangs to conclude last season.

• Both Lions teams will visit the Toronto Varsity Blues for the first time since November 2022, after the men hosted Toronto three consecutive years while the women welcomed the Blues two of the last three years, and did not play them in 2024-25.

• This year's schedule features a pair of notable omissions as York avoids both the Queen's Gaels and Windsor Lancers, who faced off in the Forsyth Cup finals and who each made playoff appearances on the women's side. The Lions women's team will face the defending Quigley Cup champs, the Brock Badgers, on Jan. 29-30 at Tait McKenzie Centre.

• Finishing the season at home for the first time since 2023-24, York's men's team will meet the McMaster Maruaders, while the women's team entertains the Ottawa Gee-Gees. The Lions host Ottawa for the first time since it re-joined the OUA in 2024-25, and for the first time since Oct. 31, 2015, their last season before they defected to the RSEQ ahead of the 2016-17 season.

YORK 2026-27 SCHEDULE:

Oct. 30: at Guelph – 6:00 p.m. (W); 7:30 p.m. (M)

Oct. 31: at Guelph – 4:00 p.m. (W); 5:30 p.m. (M)

Nov. 13: vs. RMC – 6:00 p.m. (W); 7:30 p.m. (M)

Nov. 14: vs. RMC – 12:00 p.m. (W); 1:30 p.m. (M)

Nov. 20: at Lakehead – 6:00 p.m. (W); at Nipissing – 7:30 p.m. (M)

Nov. 21: at Nipissing – 3:30 p.m. (M); at Lakehead – 6:00 p.m. (W)

Nov. 27: vs. Western – 6:30 p.m. (M); 8:00 p.m. (W)

Nov. 28: vs. Western – 12:00 p.m. (M); 1:30 p.m. (W)

Jan. 8: at Trent – 6:00 p.m. (W); 7:30 p.m. (M)

Jan. 9: at Trent – 2:00 p.m. (W); 3:30 p.m. (M)

Jan. 15: at Toronto – 5:30 p.m. (W); 7:00 p.m. (M)

Jan. 16: at Toronto – 2:00 p.m. (W); 3:30 p.m. (M)

Jan. 29: vs. Brock – 6:00 p.m. (W); 7:30 p.m. (M)

Jan. 30: vs. Brock – 2:00 p.m. (W); 3:30 p.m. (M)

Feb. 5: vs. Waterloo – 6:30 p.m. (M); 8:00 p.m. (W)

Feb. 6: vs. Waterloo – 2:30 p.m. (M); 4:00 p.m. (W)

Feb. 12: at TMU – 5:00 p.m. (W); 6:30 p.m. (M)

Feb. 13: at TMU – 2:00 p.m. (W); 3:30 p.m. (M)

Feb. 19: vs. Ottawa – 6:00 p.m. (W); vs. McMaster – 7:30 pm (M)

Feb. 20: vs. Ottawa – 2:00 p.m. (W); vs. McMaster – 3:30 p.m. (M)