The Lions men’s volleyball team has had mixed success so far in 2016. They started off the year by losing to the Ryerson Rams, and then regained some cross-town prestige by taking down the UofT Varsity Blues. The Queen’s Gaels then put the Lions back down again, but on Saturday the Lions roared back and defeated the RMC Paladins’ squad.
On the men’s team, the towering Arthur Szwarc has spent a lot of time above the net trying to get the volleyball to the opponents’ floor. So far in 2016, he has 47 kills, five aces, and 11 blocks to his name.
Along with his teammates Tyler Covach, Alexander Duncan-Thibault, and others, Szwarc worked very hard in his first game of the year to counter the strong offense of the Rams, but Ryerson’s team topped the Lions in four sets to take the win.
The Lions took that out on the Varsity Blues, who they defeated in three hard-fought sets to bring themselves up into fifth place in the Ontario University Athletics rankings. In their next game, however, the momentum was lost and the Lions fell hard into eighth place as the Gaels swept them aside in three close sets.On the following night the Lions clashed with the Paladins and had a block party, totaling 15 blocks to the Paladins’ three. The Paladins were put down in straight sets.
So far this season, the Lions have won seven and lost nine games, putting them in a less-than-ideal but comfortable spot in the OUA playoffs and leaving the door to the playoffs open.
Hassam Munir, Sports and Health Editor
Featured image courtesy of York Lions
