After losing the first two sets, the York University Lions women’s volleyball team came back to win the final three sets, defeating the University of Toronto Varsity Blues 3-2 on Sunday at the Tait McKenzie Centre.
Earlier in the season the Lions topped the Blues 3-0, however in this game Toronto came prepared and nearly knocked off Ontario University Athletics (OUA)’s top team. In the end, the Lions proved to be the stronger squad and won 14-25, 23-25, 25-14, 25-21, 15-5.
With the win, the Lions move to 11-1 on the season, holding strong atop of the OUA East standings with 22 points. The Varsity Blues maintained their fourth-place spot in the division at 5-9. More details on the York Lions website.
Earlier in the weekend, the Lions hammered the Ryerson University Rams en route to their 10th victory of the season.
Kristina Vlcek scored a game-high 15 points and led all scorers in three different categories with 10 kills, three service aces and two blocks. Thinesa Sriskandarajah was second in team scoring with 10 points on nine kills and one block. More details.
Men’s basketball Lions upset city rivals for second straight time
In their first meeting since the York University Lions upset the University of Toronto Varsity Blues in last year’s playoffs, the Lions turned the trick again by knocking off the No. 9 nationally-ranked Varsity Blues 88-74 on Friday, Jan. 14, at Tait McKenzie Centre.
The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair with both teams trading baskets and leads throughout. The Lions nearly escaped the first with a 20-17 lead, but Dakota Laurin hit a three-pointer in the dying seconds to tie the game at 20-20. More details.
The following night, a last second shot refused to go in as the Lions fell 73-72 to the Ryerson University Rams at the Tait McKenzie Centre.
David Tyndale shot the ball towards the net as the clock wound down and Dejan Kravic and Aaron Rados both tried tipping it in under the basket but Ryerson managed to grab hold as time expired to secure the victory.
The Lions fought to keep up throughout the game after falling behind by 11 after the first quarter of play. They played much more aggressively in the second and were rewarded with several baskets to narrow the gap. At the half they trailed by just three, 34-31. More details.
Men’s hockey Lions edge Ridgebacks in thriller
The York University Lions men’s hockey team won its second straight game on home ice with a 5-4 victory over the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) Ridgebacks.
David Blair stopped 24 of 28 shots in goal for the Lions and earned his fifth win of the season. Jason Guy and Jeff Dawson split duties between the pipes for the Ridgebacks. Guy stopped 23 of 28 shots and Dawson stopped all 10 shots he faced in relief.
It took the Lions just 1:16 to draw first blood. After spending the opening minute of the first period hemmed inside their own zone, J.K. Gill sprinted down the right wing and put a weak shot on goal that bounced off Guy’s pads and onto the stick of Ben Rubin, who chipped the rebound home just inside Guy’s left post. More details.
On Thursday evening, the Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks scored early and kept the York University Lions men’s hockey team off balance to earn a 5-2 victory in Waterloo.
Laurier opened the scoring less than three minutes into the game when right winger Zackory Ray tipped the puck past Lions goaltender Travis Rolheiser and into the Lions net. The score would remain 1-0 heading into the first intermission. More details.
Men’s volleyball Lions rally for thrilling comeback win
The York University Lions men’s volleyball team erased a 2-1 deficit to defeat the Ryerson University Rams 3-2 in a five-set thriller on Friday night.
Rookie Nikola Sandic scored 20 points and third-year middle Felipe Humana-Paredes had four blocks in the 25-20, 17-25, 21-25, 25-17, 15-13 victory. Sandic led the Lions in scoring with 15 kills and five service aces. Karim Khalil was second in team scoring with 13 kills, one service ace and one block for 15 points. More details.
Against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Sunday, the Lions dropped a nail-biting 3-2 decision in a tightly-contested match that ended 19-25, 29-27, 26-24, 21-25, 15-12.
The Lions looked good throughout the first set, blocking most of Toronto’s attempts. Meanwhile, the Blues only plan looked to blast the ball past the Lions defence, but the strategy wasn’t working as well as they would have hoped as the Lions cruised to the early lead.
In the second set the Lions had three opportunities to take it and the 2-0 lead, but the Blues managed to come up with big points when they needed them and held on to even the match. More details.
McMurter stands tall as women’s hockey Lions blank Ridgebacks
Rookie forward Stephanie Dovaston scored a pair and Sydney McMurter earned her second shutout of the season as the York University Lions women’s hockey team defeated the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) Ridgebacks 2-0 on Friday.
McMurter stopped all 40 shots against on a busy night in goal for the Lions, while Jessica Larabie stopped 27 of 29 shots in goal for the Ridgebacks. More details.
The following night proved to be more difficult as the Lions were defeated 6-2 by the host Queen’s University Gaels in Kingston.
The Lions were on the defence right away after earning a penalty for hooking, and the Gaels’ Morgan McHaffie made them pay with a goal 5:33 into the game on the power play.
York’s Jennifer Petkovics scored an unassisted power play goal of her own less than three minutes later to tie the game 1-1. It was her seventh goal of the season. More details.
Comebacks falls short as Rams top women’s basketball Lions in OT
Trailing by 19 at the half, the York University Lions women’s basketball team turned up the intensity in the second but saw its comeback fall short in a 73-71 overtime loss to the visiting Ryerson University Rams at the Tait McKenzie Centre on Saturday.
The Lions could not get anything going in the first half while the Rams were unstoppable. The Rams led 20-13 after the first quarter and pushed their lead to 39-20 by halftime.
The Lions began their comeback early in the third quarter thanks to improved shooting from everyone on the floor, and outscored the Rams by 11 in the frame to narrow the gap to just eight. More details.
The previous night, the Lions were defeated by the No. 9 nationally-ranked University of Toronto Varsity Blues 87-54.
The Varsity Blues controlled the floor for most of the first quarter, but the Lions pulled to within striking distance late in the frame. A three-pointer from Kayla Pangos in the dying seconds cut the Varsity Blues’ lead to just 19-17 heading into the second. More details.
Submitted by Alyson Fisher, sport & recreation information officer in Sport York.