This unprecedented season may be one for the history books
Daniel Rependa
Contributor
The York Lions women’s volleyball team opened the new year at home January 13 with a very satisfying 3-1 win over the Ottawa Gee-Gees. The Lions played a good game overall, with solid defence and great hitting. They lost their second set with a discouraging score of 9-25, but this was soon remedied by a two set streak to close out the game. However, the real story at York is not this victory over one of the better teams in the OUA, but rather the unbelievable season they have been having this year.
The Lions now hold a record of 10 wins and one loss, making it the first time in four seasons that the Lions have held a record of over .900. It may be a little early in the season to be forecasting that the Lions will finish off with the same win/loss percentage they have now, but with the consistent performance records and their general dominating tendencies, it might be time to start talking about OUA (provincial) championships and even CIS (national) playoffs.
At this point, the closest team in the OUA to York’s standing is the University of Toronto, with an 8-3 win/loss ratio, making it fairly safe to say that York is dominating the league. However, the Lions’ first loss to the Brock Badgers, a team currently standing in fifth place, proves that upsets do happen and the championship medal is not a certainty.
This is, of course, what makes the world of sports so interesting. York needs to make sure they stay dominant and consistent in the OUA playoffs, where a good regular season record makes no difference if a team should lose in sudden-death playoff games. Therefore, it is crucial to avoid giving up games to substantially lower-ranked teams such as Brock.
This will be the first time in four years that the Lions have such a phenomenal shot at winning the OUA and representing the OUA in the CIS playoffs, and it should not be squandered. York is currently the tenth-ranked team in the CIS, making the OUA championship and the CIS playoffs a distinct possibility.
The majority of York’s players are currently in the first half of their university careers, making the Lions a very young team. If one were to factor in development and general team chemistry, it is very possible that York could be asserting itself as a dominant force over the next couple of years. If this were to be the case, we could potentially be developing into a team similar to our ‘90s volleyball team, when the Lions went on to win six straight OUA seasons.
However, there are still numerous factors that need to be accounted for: up-and-coming talent on other teams, changing of coaching staff on other teams, and whether or not York can sustain such dominance for a longer period of time according to their own incoming waves of talent and coaching.
Sports are not only about stats and championships, and medals are not always won by the most deserving of teams. However, this season York is making a dominant stand, not only in the Ontario volleyball scene, but also the
Canadian national scene. They have proven they have the competence, athletic ability, solid team strategy, and general team chemistry needed to be a force to be reckoned with. Now it is just a matter of sustaining their power and earning a place in the championships.
