TORONTO - The Ryerson Rams men's volleyball team dropped the first game of their 2019-20 season in a four-set match (16-25, 32-30, 25-20, 23-25) against the Toronto Varsity Blues on Saturday.

The Blues came out flying in the first set getting 14 kills with four coming from Evan Falardeau. The Blues wrapped up the first set rather quickly at the Rams home opener and in front of a packed OVA Day crowd with a 25-16 score. 

The Rams quickly regrouped and started the second set quite confidently. Led by Xander Kretzynski (Toronto) with six kills, who finished the game with 28, the Rams led the entire set up until the 23-23 mark, where the thrilling set went on to have 16 straight lead changes and finished 32-30 for the Blues. 

Following that deflating second set loss, the Rams found it in them to fight back and take the third set 25-20. First-year Derek Webster (Ottawa, Ont.) and second-year Omari Young (Toronto) provided a much-needed boost off the bench and contributed in many plays which resulted in the Rams only set win. 

Rams head coach Matt Harris was very pleased with the young duo, saying, "They brought some energy in, those are the kind of players that they are. [...] I thought both of those guys came in and did their job, and gave us a bit of a different look which worked for a little bit." 

The Blues reclaimed their dominance in the fourth set, leading the entire way and finishing a competitive match with a 25-23 set score.

The veteran-heavy Varsity Blues proved to be too much for the Rams, with their offence running through a multitude of players. Having four players with double-digit points (Falardeau, Chris Towe,  Jasper Neale, and Alex Barnes) and a strong defence off the serve were significant elements in the Blues spoiling the home-opener party. 

The Rams finished with 46 total kills and 28 errors and failed to match the Blues' 47 kills and only 21 errors. 

Ryerson's men's volleyball team will look for their first win of the season against the York Lions this Wednesday at the Tait McKenzie Centre. "Tough match against York, they're a good team and we're on the road.[...] I think we just got to stay the course. It's just one match. We're gonna do what we do well, and try to do it a little better," said Harris. 

Opening serve will be at 6 p.m. on OUA.tv on Wednesday night.