Hassam Munir, Sports & Health Editor
Featured image courtesy of York Lions
The Lions men’s volleyball team may have hit some turbulence early on in the 2015-16 season, but they came out with strong performances at the end of the season before being knocked out of the Ontario University Athletics quarterfinals by the Queen’s Gaels at the end of February.
“The team’s performance was one with many ups and downs,” says outside hitter Arthur Szwarc. “The way to the playoffs was tough due to the fact that we needed to win two important games.”
These games, which were the last of the Lions’ regular season, were against the Waterloo Warriors and McMaster Marauders. Both teams are ranked in the top 10 varsity volleyball teams in Canada, and both had dealt the Lions crushing defeats earlier in the season.
“Approaching them was very intense for all members of the team,” says Szwarc, “but we pulled through and played two of the better games of the season.”
The back-to-back upsets gave the Lions both their spot in the OUA playoffs and their momentum as they prepared to take on the Queen’s Gaels in the quarterfinals. The Gaels are ranked as the fourth best team in the country.
Leading the Gaels as they took down the Lions was former Lions’ volleyball player Marko Dakic, who scored 14.5 points and contributed 13 kills and 10 digs. On the Lions’ end of the court, Szwarc and his teammates Nicolas Pirnat combined for 20 points, 16 kills, and two service aces. However, it was not enough to keep the Gaels from winning all three sets of the game.
“Queen’s played like a veteran team and made few mistakes,” says Szwarc.
“The pressure got to us and we ended up cracking. The younger guys on the team will remember that feeling for next year and it will be a big motivational boost.”
The Lions were expected to do well this season after winning the OUA bronze medal in 2014-15 and going on to make their first appearance at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport Championships in a decade. However, a rough start to the season and a drop in energy in November took away a lot of the momentum as they headed toward the end of the season.
Looking forward to the 2016-17 season, the Lions will also have to keep building on their strengths next season.
“The biggest strength we’ve had this year is definitely our block at the net and our aggression,” says Szwarc.
“Other teams always had to find a creative and challenging way to get around us.”
Szwarc believes taking these measures will contribute toward the Lions’ chances of making it to the playoffs again next season, which remains the goal. He also wants the team to have a stronger start and to stay on top of the OUA rankings for most of the season.
“The potential we have as a team is unknown,” he says. “We saw sparks of a championship team at times, so as long as we all hit the gym, get our volleyball IQ up, and keep the hunger to win, next year will [be] pretty interesting.”
For Szwarc, the end of his sophomore season with the Lions was not as bittersweet. He has been named an OUA first-team all-star and a CIS second-team all-Canadian. He is ranked third in the OUA in points, sixth in points per set, fourth in kills, ninth in kills per set, and first in both blocks and blocks per set.
“The effect it has brought to my team is a moment of happiness and determination,” says Szwarc, referring to the recognition. “If one of us can get the award, why not more? This will be used for motivation for my team and I look forward to seeing how they play next year.”
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