The York University Lions women’s volleyball team defeated the Ryerson University Rams in straight sets on Sunday afternoon at Mattamy Athletic Centre, extending its winning streak to six and handing the Rams their first loss of the season.
The battle of two unbeaten teams lived up to its billing in the first set as Ryerson held a narrow two-point advantage at the first technical timeout, but the Lions rallied late in the set to win the first 25-23.
The Lions closed the gap and crushed the Rams 25-14 in the second set and 25-10 in the third for their most lopsided win of the season.
The Lions, ranked No. 9 in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) rankings, are now a perfect 6-0 on the year and are one of only two teams in Ontario University Athletics (OUA), along with the No. 7 Ottawa Gee-Gees, to boast an unblemished record. More details on the York Lions website.
The Lions also defeated their other cross-town rivals, the University of Toronto Blues, in straight sets on Saturday afternoon.
The Lions outscored the Blues 25-20, 25-22, and 25-15 en route to their fifth victory of the season.
Brandie Wilkerson led both teams with points with 17. She scored 15 kills, one block and one service ace, and added eight digs. Melissa Humana-Paredes added 12 kills of her own, along with a team-high14 digs, and Michelle Pierce added 13 points on eight kills, four blocks and one service ace. More details.
Men’s hockey Lions top Lakers, extend win streak to three
The York University Lions men’s hockey team concluded a set of cross-division match-ups at home this Saturday, battling the Nipissing University Lakers to a narrow 2-1 victory for its third straight win.
The Lions opened the scoring in the first off the stick of defenceman Paul Sohor at 9:33 of the period. Troy Barss and captain Jesse Messier earned assists on the play.
The Lions’ held a 1-0 lead at the end of the first, and after a no-scoring second frame, they brought their lead into the third. More details.
One day earlier, the Lions dominated the Concordia Stingers en route to a 5-0 blowout victory.
The Lions fired on all cylinders the whole evening, with its top forward line earning seven points, two defenders contributing goals, and a flawless shutout performance from star goaltender Andrew Perugini.
The Lions opened the scoring early with a goal from defenceman John de Gray at just 3:11 of the first period. Sprung by a pass from leading scorer Messier, de Gray was able to beat Stingers goalie Loic Boivin with a deke that freed up the low blocker side. Tyler Mort also assisted on the goal. More details.
Tyndale’s last basket leads men’s basketball Lions over Badgers
David Tyndale netted a free throw with 12 seconds left on the clock to lead the York University Lions men’s basketball team to a thrilling 70-69 victory over the Brock University Badgers in St. Catharines, Ont., on Saturday night.
The Lions were trailing 54-51 heading into the fourth quarter, but a remarkable team performance resulted in a 19-15 final frame in York’s favour, earning them the win in dramatic fashion by a single point.
Tyndale stepped up to the line with the game tied after a Brock foul and missed his first shot, but got the second one to fall to seal the victory. He scored 13 points and added three assists and two steals to help the Lions win their first game of the season. More details.
In the team’s season opener the previous night, the Lions were defeated by the McMaster University Marauders by a score of 77-58.
The game was tied 12-12 after the first quarter, but the Marauders went off for 24 points in the second while the Lions could muster just 11, and McMaster took a bit 36-23 lead into the halftime break.
The third quarter played out similarly to the first, with the Marauders outscoring the Lions 23-15 to all but put the game out of reach. The Lions outscored the Marauders 20-18 in the final frame, but it was not enough to get the squad back into the contest. More details.
Men’s volleyball Lions defeat Blues in straight sets
The York University Lions men’s volleyball team was in action on Saturday, playing to a hard-fought straight sets win over the rival University of Toronto Varsity Blues.
The Lions took the game by set scores of 25-23, 25-23 and 25-15 to earn their second victory of the season.
The Lions’ principal point-getter was Felipe Humana-Paredes, whose 10 kills on 14 total attacks earned him a strong 71.4 kill percentage, and he also added one block. Standout outside hitter Ray Szeto contributed another nine kills and 1.5 blocks for 10.5 points, and added five digs on defence. More details.
One day later, the Lions were handed a 3-1 loss by the Ryerson University Rams at Mattamy Athletic Centre.
The Lions won the first set convincingly, by a score of 25-16, to take the early lead. The two teams played much tighter in the second and third sets, but each time the Rams managed to pull out the two-point advantage needed to take the set, winning the second 28-26 and the third 29-27.
The Rams then took the fourth set by a score of 25-21 to win the match, their third victory of the season to improve to 3-3. The Lions dropped to 2-3 with the loss. More details.
Women’s basketball Lions fall to Badgers 63-46
The York University Lions women’s basketball team was defeated by the Brock University Badgers by a score of 63-46 in St. Catharines, Ont., on Saturday night.
The Badgers consistently outscored the Lions and used their solid defence to keep the Lions’ scoring at bay. After an opening quarter that ended 18-12 in favour of the Badgers, Brock’s defence stepped up and allowed just three Lions’ points in the second quarter, and the Lions trailed the Badgers 33-15 at halftime.
The Lions rebounded in the third quarter, their most offensively successful of the game, registering 16 points, including eight from forward Erin Sarapnickas, but their inability to halt the Brock offensive machine allowed the Badgers to increase their lead, taking a 52-31 advantage into the final quarter. More details.
In their season opener the previous night, Courtney Osborne’s double-double was not enough as the Lions were defeated by a score of 59-47 by the McMaster University Marauders at Burridge Gymnasium.
Osborne tallied a game-high 17 points and added 12 rebounds for the best game of her career with the Lions. She went 7-of-13 from the floor and pulled down eight of her boards on the offensive glass. More details.
Women’s hockey Lions drop tough match to No. 6 Gaels
The York University Lions women’s hockey team was defeated by a score of 3-1 by the No. 6 nationally-ranked University of Queen’s Gaels on the road on Saturday night.
The continually impressive play of Lions’ goalie Megan Lee allowed the Lions to carry a 0-0 tie into the second period despite being heavily outshot 18-4 by the Gaels.
The second period saw the scoring open up, first for the Lions as team captain Chloe Milano beat Gaels goalie Karissa Savage from a scramble in front of the net at just 3:01 of the second frame. Lisa Stathopulos and Kristie Wilson earned assists on Milano’s third goal of the season. More details.
The next day, the Lions were handed a 5-1 loss by the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) Ridgebacks at Campus Ice Centre in Oshawa, Ont.
The Ridgebacks got on the board first just 3:15 into the opening period on a goal by Sarah Worthington and never looked back, adding their second mid-way through the first period when Nicole LoPresti scored her third of the season to give UOIT a 2-0 lead after one period of play.
Neither team could find the back of the net in the second as both goalies posted a shutout in the middle 20 minutes. More details.