The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men’s volleyball team narrowly fell 3-2 (25-20, 21-25, 25-22, 24-26, 15-9) to the Queen’s Gaels on Sunday, February 14 at the Athletic Centre Sports Gym. 

With the loss the Varsity Blues (8-8) are now tied with the Laurier Golden Hawks for seventh place. The Gaels improve to 14-4 and are deadlocked with the Western Mustangs for second. 

The first set started out in the Blues favour, with kills repeatedly coming from Steven Kung (Toronto) and Adam Palmer (Ottawa). However, the Gaels were never very far behind and managed to tie the game 17-17 near the end. Will Sedgwick (Toronto) and Sam Pedlow (Barrie, Ont.) pushed the Gaels forward into the lead and Brett Walter (Lively, Ont.) finished the set 25-20 with a final kill. 

The Blues came back rearing to go in the second set, starting out with a powerful shot from Kung. Gaels player of the game Michael Amoroso (Toronto) kept pressure on the Blues throughout, however never took control. Blues sophomore Mike Manning (Vernon, B.C) closed the game 25-21 just as the Gaels were gaining some ground. 

The third set was a close one as neither team took a definitive lead. Joren Zeeman (Cambridge, Ont.) tallied up for the Gaels with the help of Daniel Rosenbaum (Hamilton, Ont.), who recorded a game-high 48 assists. Palmer brought the game within one, however, with a final streak the Gaels claimed the set 25-22. 

Queen’s was eager to close the deal in the fourth but the Blues weren’t going down without a fight. With some long rallies, Manning claimed the first few points for the Blues. Kung and Manning continued to gain ground till as Toronto built a 20-11 lead. It appeared as though Toronto had it in the bag, but Sidgwick and Zeeman answered back tied the game up 23-23 and again 24-24. Manning just barely nabbed the game in favour of the Blues 26-24. 

U of T lost their groove in the fifth and final set as the Gaels maintained a four-point lead from the get-go. Tensions were high as Bryan Fautley (Oakville, Ont.) increased the Gaels lead, but ultimately the Blues were too far behind. Amoroso nabbed the game-point, ending it for the Blues 15-9. 

Kung led Toronto and was named the Varsity Blues player of the game with an impressive 29 kills and seven digs. Manning rallied 12 kills, while setter Degan McDonald (Calgary) ended the game with 43 assists. 

Zeeman was the high-scorer for the Gaels with 16 kills and Amoroso ended the day with 13 kills. Fautley recorded 11 kills, while Sidgwick had nine. 

The Blues return to the court on Saturday February 20 as they host the Windsor Lancers at the Athletic Centre Sports Gym. The game is scheduled for 2 p.m. 

For more information, scores and highlights on your favourite Toronto teams, please visit the home of the Varsity Blues at http://www.varsityblues.ca.