The men's volleyball team defeated York 3-1 on Friday night (Nov. 26) at the Tait McKenzie Centre. Set scores were 25-14, 22-25, 25-16, 25-21. 

 

The Gryphons improve to 6-3 while the Lions drop to 2-7 on the season. 

 

Guelph played strong in the first with James Stamler (North Bay, Ont.), firing a nicely timed kill past the Lions defence to give the visitors an 18-12 lead. The Lions would have to wait until the following set to improve their attack as they fell 25-14 to go down by one game. In the second stanza the Lions stepped things up and won 22-17. The Lions carried that momentum into the third and took an early lead but were eventually caught by the Gryphons, who found the same groove they'd been in during the first set. The Gryphons relied on their powerful striking and blocking skills to mound a terrific run that put them up by six points at 19-13. The visitors didn't look back after that, taking the set 25-16.

 

In the fourth the Lions found success early by relying on a two-pronged defensive strategy with Gregory Ivan (Toronto) and Khalil blocking multiple shots. Despite their strong defensive play, the Gryphons managed to find the gaps as the set wore on. Winston Rosser (Whitby, Ont.) used his huge serve to deliver two straight aces and give his team a 10-6 lead. The Lions mounted a mini comeback to the delight of the home fans as an ace from Khalil brought the Gryphon lead down to a close three points near the end of the set. However, the Gryphons sealed the victory with a game-winning block by Andrew McWilliam (North Dunwich, Ont.), who earned player of the match honours for Guelph. Taking the honour for the Lions was Szeto.

 

Guelph's Winston Rosser was the top scorer on the night with 22 points and five service aces.