The Varsity Blues men’s volleyball team fell 3-1 (25-23, 25-18, 19-25, 25-9) to the Guelph Gryphons on Sunday, February 6 at the Athletic Centre Sports Gym.

The opening set went back-and-forth with the Gryphons taking a few short leads, but the Blues were always close behind. Varsity Blues player of the game Mitchell Woodside of Clyde River, P.E.I., began to dominate the game after the second technical, landing two kills and an ace to finally even the.

Guelph’s player of the match Winston Rosser (Whitby, Ont.) responded for the Gryphons, and he and Woodside battled it out in the final minutes, evening it up at 22-22. The last minutes of play were tense as the Gryphons just managed to get past the Blues with the final kill coming from James Stamler (North Bay, Ont.) to win the set 25-23.

It was a shaky start for Guelph in the second set. The Gryphons lost a number of points due to technical fouls and the Blues took full advantage, gaining an early lead. The Blues couldn't get too comfortable however, as the Gryphons seemed to regroup during the second technical. Again, Rosser and Stamler dominated for Guelph and helped them to overtake the Blues 12-14. Despite excellent plays from Matthew Vares (Scarborough, Ont.), Woodside and Adam Palmer, the Gryphons continued to widen the gap. They pushed forward fast, ending the match by a seven-point lead, 25-18.

Kevin Carey (Grand Prairie, A.B.) started the third off in favour of the Gryphons, but from there on it was anyone's game. Jake Dysselhof (Mississauga, Ont.) came into his element after the second technical timeout, continually scoring kills and blocking the Gryphons shots. The Blues pulled together and overtook the Gryphons, winning 25-19 to force a fourth set.

Carey again landed a lucky ace to start the final set off for Guelph. The Gryphons, having regained their stride, had an uninterrupted seven-point streak, taking them through the first technical up 10-3. The Blues took a timeout to recover, but the Gryphons continued and got up 13-3. Palmer and Dysselhof landed a few nice ones, but there was too much time to make up, and the Gryphons won the set and the match 25-9.

Dysselhof tallied 14 kills and six digs, while Woodside had 11 kills, three aces and four blocks. Vares added 10 kills in the loss.

Guelph was led by Stamler’s 14 kills, while Rosser recorded 10 to lead the Gryphons to their fifth-straight win.

The Varsity Blues men's volleyball team are back to on the Windsor Lancers on Friday, February 12th at the Athletic Centre. The game is scheduled for 2 p.m.