GUELPH, Ont. —  The No. 2 Ryerson Rams improved to a 5-0 record on the year after pulling away with a narrow 3-2 win (25-16, 13-25, 25-21, 26-24, 15-11) over the Guelph Gryphons on Friday evening at the Gryphons Athletic Centre in Guelph.

Leading the way for Ryerson was fourth-year outside hitter Cailin Wark (Georgetown, Ont.) with a career-best 21 kills and 23.0 points on the evening. Libero Samantha Cyrille (Scarborough, Ont.) also established a new career-high in the match, totalling 30 digs in the win over Guelph.

Ryerson opened the match with a dominant first set, blocking well and playing some of their most efficient volleyball of the game. The team attacked at a game-high .280 percent through the opening set, keeping the Gryphons on their toes and forcing eight Guelph errors. Ryerson took a dominant 25-16 win in the first, but the Rams' superiority would not last for much longer.

The Gryphons took the court by storm in the second set, pulling ahead by an unprecedented 16-4 lead at the technical timeout. The Rams struggled to make basic plays as the Gryphons attacked at an elite .380 percent. Ryerson's late-set push wasn't enough to close the gap, as the Gryphons took the second 25-13.  

The third set saw more balanced action as both teams exchanged leads through the technical. The Rams would edge the Gryphons near the end of the set, pulling ahead with a 25-21 win and a 2-1 lead in the match. 

The Gryphons weren't going down without a fight. The teams were neck-in-neck again through much of the fourth, but a late-set run saw the Gryphons even up the score and capitalize again on crucial Ryerson errors. Guelph took the fourth by a score of 26-24 to send the game to a decisive fifth set. 

Ryerson led Guelph again through much of the final set, pulling away with an 8-4 lead at the midway point of the contest. But, the Gryphons again battled to bring the game back within reach and narrowed Ryerson's lead to two. The Rams fought their way out of a tight fifth set and eventually took the 15-11 win to claim a 3-2 victory in the match. 

Brett Hagarty (Aurora, Ont.) and Lindsay Kleuskens (London, Ont.) each tallied three solo blocks in the win over Guelph. Hagarty finished the game with 13 kills and 17.0 points after yet another solid performance. 

The Rams will be back in action tomorrow night as they take on the No. 5 Waterloo Warriors. First serve flies at 6:00 p.m.