Box Score TORONTO, Ont.— After a tough loss to the undefeated McMaster Marauders last night, the Western Mustangs men’s volleyball team travelled to Toronto tonight to challenge the fifth place York Lions. Unfortunately, the Mustangs could not get back to their winning ways as they suffered their second loss of the weekend, losing to the Lions 3-1. This brings the Western Mustangs regular season record to 10-4, keeping them in third place.
 
Set scores were 19-25, 23-25, 25-20, 23-25
 
Leading the Mustangs was Garrett May with 21 kills and a team high 22 points while setter Sean McKay contributed 50 assists.
 
Stepping onto the court with confidence, the Mustangs managed to claim the first three points of the set, gaining an early lead over the hosts. Western was able to double the count of York with the help of kills from May. But with York coming on strong, Western’s lead slipped away and eventually the set evened at 11-11. Both teams rallied for points, but the Lions managed to edge the Mustangs by four points at the technical time out. The Mustangs were unable to catch up, and lost the first set 19-25.
 
Looking to get back into the match, the Mustangs took the first point of the second set. Again, the set remained close throughout, with both teams battling to secure momentum. Fourth-year Phil James smashed the ball over the net, helping bring the score to 19-19. But once again the Lions managed to pull away in the final points and took the set 25-23.
 
Down two sets, the Mustangs managed to earn the first point of the third set once again. Long rallies combined with hard hits made for an exciting set as both teams looked unwilling to relinquish the lead. Western managed to gain an edge on York and earned the third set victory by a score of 25-20.
 
After winning the previous set, Western came onto the court with a renewed energy for the fourth set. Right from the beginning, the Mustangs and Lions pushed and challenged each other making the entire set a point for point affair. However, the Lions managed to prevail on their home court, winning the set 25-23 and securing the upset victory.
 
Leading the Lions was Ray Szeto with 22 kills on 46 attempts and a game high 25.5 points.
 
The Mustangs are back at Alumni Hall next weekend when they will try to claim victories over the Ryerson Rams on Friday, February 1 at 8:00 p.m., and the Toronto Varsity Blues on Saturday, February 2 at 7:00 p.m. This will be the second time the Mustangs meet the Rams and the Blues this season—previous encounters ended in straight set victories for Western.