After a challenging back and forth affair, the University of Toronto Varsity Blues men’s volleyball team fell 3-1 (20-25, 28-26, 18-25, 18-25) to the Western Mustangs in their final regular-season game on Sunday, February 21 at the Athletic Centre Sports Gym. 

With superior middle play from Phil James (Ottawa), the Mustangs got a good jump start on the Blues right off the bat. 

Down 10-15 at the second technical time out, Steven Kung (Toronto) and Matthew Stefanoff (Unionville, Ont.) fired back for Toronto with some smooth kills and narrowed the gap 18-20. From there, however, Toronto lost their stride and made some unforced errors. A final kill from Matthew Waite (St. Thomas, Ont.) and the Mustangs would take the opener 25-20. 

The second set started out with a couple of streaks from the Blues fourth-year middle Adam Palmer (Ottawa) and graduating senior Kung to put the home team up by three through the second technical timeout.
 
With the game tied at 16, after a couple Toronto shots sailed long of the end line, Mathieu Poulin, Western’s player of the game, pushed the Mustangs into the lead with two consecutive kills. However, Mike Manning of Vernon, B.C. and Adam Palmer would answer and helped the Blues battled back. 

A back-and-forth rally ensued as the two team remained tied at 26. Two critical errors from the visitors would allow the host to steal game two, 28-26. 

The Blues had a shaky start in the third after Waite rocketed the Mustangs to a 12-7 lead with three straight blocks, Manning tied the score 14-14 with a streak of his own. The Mustangs answered right back, winning the third set by seven, 25-18. 

James and Reid Halpenny (Exeter, Ont.) gained the advantage for Western in the fourth, out-duelling the Blues 19-9 after the second technical time out. The Blues re-gained their composure and fought their way back into the game with seven straight points to pull within two, 17-19. 

As they did in the third, Western withstood the attack and answered back, winning six of the final seven points to take the fourth and final game 25-18. 

In his final Varsity Blues home game, Kung was named player of the game after recording a game-high 21 kills, five digs and one service ace. Mitchell Woodside of Clyde River, P.E.I tallied 11 kills in the loss.
Western’s Poulin finished with 15 kills, while Halpenny added 12. Setter Matthew Gibson was very steady for the Mustangs with 34 assists.

Next up for men’s volleyball – the OUA playoffs! The Blues travel to Kingston, Ont. to take on the Queen’s Gaels in quarter-final action on Saturday, February 27th. 

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