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MVB: Jacob Walker vs. York, Feb. 12, 2022
Photo by Curtis Martin
2
York YORK 2-7, 2-7
3
Winner Ryerson RYERSON 4-6, 4-6
York YORK
2-7, 2-7
2
Final
3
Ryerson RYERSON
4-6, 4-6
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
York YORK 21 32 17 25 12 (2)
Ryerson RYERSON 25 29 25 20 15 (3)

Game Recap: Volleyball (M) | | Joe Mastromatteo

Home fans fuel five set rematch win over York

TORONTO - Just a day after a tiring road loss in five sets, the Rams men's volleyball team earned a 3-2 victory over the York Lions at the Mattamy Athletic Centre on Saturday night.

Coach Niko Rukavina laughed post-game when asked about his team's undefeated streak at home. The Rams only other home game this season was a 3-0 win over the same York squad in November. 

"After being off for the lockdown, it's nice to be (back) at home. It was nice to see the young team be able to pull one out in a fifth set at home," he said. 

The Rams out-muscled the Lions in the first set, starting with a hammering kill by Nicholas Hudson. 

Saad Shaikh and Lhexen Rabit tamed York's attacks, while Jacob Walker and Alex King froze the Lions with heavy kills halfway through the set before taking it 25-21.
  A marathon second set saw the Lions eventually take it 32-30. Shaikh defended the Rams' court while Hudson, King and Walker helped the blue and gold come back from an eight-point deficit. 

Hudson and King teamed up for a block to start the third, followed by a solo Hudson block. The Rams pulled away later in the set, and Walker's 12th kill of the night sealed the set at 25-17. 

York went on a 6-0 run midway through the fourth and soon snuck away with the set 25-20.

Hudson was quick to praise the fans too, but felt that the Rams could have done even more damage on home court. "It's great to be here. The atmosphere was electric. I think that the presence of the fans really helped," said the outside hitter. 

"We do feel we are a stronger team than them and it could have been a lot shorter (of a) game. But, we battled when it counted," he added. 

In the decisive fifth set, the Rams came out firing, going up three early. The Lions were soon able to tie after a series of errors, but King restored the Rams' slim lead. An ace from Shaikh extended their lead to three, and Lucas Yang soon put the game at match point. In front of an energized crowd, a York service error sealed the set 15-12 and won the game for the Rams. 

As the Rams squad danced in celebration and completed their much-needed cooldown, Rukavina commended their endurance. 

"Especially after how late we were last night and then coming back downtown after York - I don't think that guys went to bed at the right time. (But) we came in with a new mindset today and we showed what we can do."

The Rams will recover from their grueling weekend and face the Toronto Varsity Blues in a home-and-away series next week.
 
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