TORONTO - The Ryerson Rams men's volleyball team took down the Nipissing Lakers in four sets on Friday night (17-25, 25-22, 25-18, 25-20). 

Coming into tonight's matchup, the Lakers and Rams were tied in the OUA East with 16 points and fighting for the third-place spot going into the playoffs. 

The Rams struggled in the opening set, as they could not seem to block out Nipissing's offence and did not tally a single block. Multiple Lakers were finding their rhythm, as Tyrus Cuculick and Grady McClure combined for seven kills in the first set whilst hitting efficiently. The Lakers' dynamic offence and high energy allowed them to convincingly take the first 25-17.

Ryerson seemed to have woken up in the second set, much to do with Rams veteran Taryq Sani (Scarborough, Ont.) coming into the game. Sani picked many of his teammates up after the first set and contributed with three kills as well. The Rams also found their block, as they had four in the second set which got the Lakers thinking twice on many attacks. Those components along with a multitude of Laker service errors saw the Rams take the second 25-22.

The Rams continued to outplay the Lakers in the third, led by Xander Ketrzynski (Toronto) who dominated the set with five kills without a single error. The Rams also had 14 kills collectively in the third, where the Lakers had just nine. Despite a late run made by Nipissing coming out of a timeout, the Rams held them off to take a 2-1 lead, winning the set 25-18.

In the fourth and final set, the Rams were hitting with purpose, obtaining 12 kills on just 24 attempts. The Lakers also continued to help the Rams, as they tallied a high number of errors to close out the match. The Rams' defence ultimately carried them in the fourth, as they held the Lakers to an inefficient offence. 

Ketrzynski led the Rams with 15 kills, but Greg Vukets (Auckland, New Zealand) shined as well, tallying 12 kills on just 24 attempts. 

"It gives us a bit of security," said Rams head coach Matt Harris as they defeated a Nipissing team that posed a threat to the Rams' playoff fate. "We've got a big game tomorrow though, so we continue to move forward," as Harris stresses the importance of every game left this season.

Sani also showed strong leadership qualities in their win, as he said, "The guys that look for me for leadership, I give them leadership. I'm there for everyone."

The Rams will be back on the court Saturday as they visit the Trent Excalibur at 7 p.m.