TORONTO — The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men's volleyball team lost 3-0 against the No. 5  nationally ranked Queen's University Gaels on Thursday night. 

The first set was big for the Bold. Right off the bat, they started off strong on both the offensive and defensive fronts. 

"We came out of the gate pretty hot and we followed our plan pretty well," said head coach Niko Rukavina. "That's a team that serves pretty well, but they also miss a lot. So they gave us a couple points and we defended really well which is impressive."

TMU's Riley Donovan fired many balls down the line. He continues to be a dominating presence offensively this season, with 10 kills this game. Assisting him was Declan Dunn who ended the game with eight digs and 22 assists.

Another notable player was Ethan Lau, who came to the team as an outside hitter, but has found himself settling into the role of libero. In a mid-set effort, the Bold were tied with the Gaels, 14-14. The rally to the next point was extended by Lau, who was there when he was needed, resulting in the Bold pulling ahead and creating a four-point gap.

"Ethan is doing a great job and it's a tough team to play as a first year," said Rukavina. "It's just going to get better from here."

Lau gives his thanks to injured libero Tony Tanouchev when it comes to settling into his new role.

"Tony's basically my role model," said Lau. "I learned a lot from him everyday and he's been helping me, giving me constant feedback."

Despite pulling ahead, the Gaels found a way to tie things up. Playing point to point, TMU held on to the very last minute, but fell short, ending the set 28-26.

In the second set, the Bold couldn't seem to carry the same momentum they demonstrated in the first set. Despite several  strong plays from Gavin Elzinga, Day Westell, Kai Taylor and Donovan, the Bold couldn't find their rhythm to even out the score, the set ending 25-19.

In the third set, the Bold had a similar fate and could not find set victory. They were able to equalize at the 10-point mark and continued to tie things up until the 14th point. However the Gaels pulled ahead and the last set ended, 25-20.

Rukavina uses this game as an assessment for how the team is doing and uses it as a learning experience.

"We are not at the same level as these nationally ranked teams, that's fine and a good measuring stick," said Rukavina. "To have the defending OUA champs in our gym, that's awesome for us to assess how we are doing and that's what we did today."

Up next, the Bold will play the Queen's Gaels again in a rematch on Friday, Nov. 7. The first swing is at 6 p.m. TMU students can attend for free with their OneCards.