The Varsity Blues men’s volleyball team fell 3-1 (25-20, 20-25, 28-26, 26-24) in a close match against the Ryerson Rams on Friday, October 29 at Kerr Hall.

U of T’s Adam Palmer (Ottawa) and Dundas, Ont., native Jonathan Adomati went head-to-head with Ryerson’s Brett Penrose (Calgary) and Roman Kabanov (Toronto) to start the first set, tying the game seven times up to 11-11.

Greg McDonald (Thamesville, Ont.) and Kabanov then landed a few key strikes as the Rams took a 16-12 lead at the second technical. Ryerson continued to rise and despite some powerful kills from third-year rightside hitter Mitchell Woodside of Clyde River, P.E.I., the Blues lost the set 25-18.

The second set was a complete reversal. Killian Newman (Kelowna, B.C.) and Woodside worked hard to gain an early advantage for Toronto. The Rams tried to keep up, but U of T riddled them with shots and built a 16-10 lead at the second technical this time. Toronto stayed in control and won the set 25-20.
Penrose continued to play well for the Rams, landing the opening kills of the third. Newman managed to tie it up repeatedly, but the Rams continued to answer back. Both teams exchanged points and the game remained deadlocked at 15-15. Ryerson began to rally until Palmer and Blues rookie Jake Dysselhof (Mississauga, Ont.) tied the game at 24-24.

In the close finish, the game went on to tie again at 25 and 26, before McDonald and Chris McLaughlin notched two points for the Rams to take the set.

Things remained close in the fourth and final set of the match. Ryerson maintained an early lead but the Blues were never too far behind. It wasn’t until the nearing the end of the set that U of T managed to tie the game and from then on it was up in the air, tied all the way up to 24-24. However, the Rams just managed to clinch their victory, 26-24.

Dysselhof led the Blues with 11 kills, while Newman had 10. Both Woodside and Palmer recorded seven kills in the loss.

The Varsity Blues men’s volleyball team return to the court on Sunday, October 31 when they host the York Lions at the Athletic Centre Sports Gym. The game is scheduled for 2 p.m.

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