The Varsity Blues women’s volleyball team fell 3-1 (20-25, 25-19, 23-25, 18-25) to the York Lions on Saturday, November 26 at Tait McKenzie Centre.

This loss places Toronto tied with the Queen’s Gaels for third place with a 6-3 record, while the Lions remain a perfect 9-0 heading into the December break.

“Overall I am happy with our effort today,” said Varsity Blues head coach Kristine Drakich. “It was disappointing to lose but we created some great opportunities through some solid defence and blocking, which has been missing for a few weeks. We  had difficulty sustaining our focus, individually and collectively, throughout the match and in long rallies and that hurt us.”

Third-year leftside hitter Rebecca Crosier of Ottawa led the Blues with 13 kills and 20 digs, while rookie Denise Wooding had 11 kills and 14 digs on the day.  Katrina Rossall tallied a team-high 21 digs, while Malena Rapaport had 30 assists in the loss.

Brandie Wilkerson led the Lions with 21 kills, while Stephanie Green and Melissa Humana-Paredes both had 10 kills in the win.

“The key for us as we move into the second half is continuing with this effort and sustaining our focus for longer periods of time,” added Drakich. “If we can do this, I'm confident that we will start capitalizing on these opportunities more often.”

The Blues continue their regular season schedule on Friday, January 6 as they travel to Windsor to take on the Lancers. The game is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. 

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