Box Score The Varsity Blues men’s volleyball team picked up their fifth win on the season with a 3-2 (25-21, 18-25, 25-23, 22-25, 15-10) victory over the Guelph Gryphons on Sunday, January 27 at the Athletic Centre Sports Gym.
Fifth-year right Mitchell Woodside (Clyde River, Ont.) delivered for Toronto with a game-high 22 kills. The Gryphons received 16 kills from Winston Rosser (Whitby, Ont.) as well as 14 from Timothy Warnholtz (Guelph, Ont.).
After alternating the first ten points to start the deciding set, the Blues built a three-point lead to go up 8-5. Toronto maintained that margin the rest of the way, building a five-point gap off a quick kill by Trevor Grant (Port Perry, Ont.). The second-year middle followed that up with a block on the next point and the Blues eventually took the set 15-10.
Both teams struggled to find a rhythm early in the match, with Toronto jumping out to a 6-2 lead. After each side started connecting with their kills, the Blues built their advantage up to 18-10. Guelph responded with an 8-3 run to close the score to 21-18, however Toronto ripped of four of the next seven points to take the first set 25-21.
The second set saw the score tied three times in the early going before five striaght points by the Gryphons put them up 16-12. Guelph would add to that puling ahead 21-16, before closing out the set 25-18.
In the third, the close play continued with the team evenly exchanging the first ten points. The Blues would go on a five-point rally before the Gryphons responded with 7-2 run of their own to pull even at 12-12. Neither team would build a sustainble gap until the Blues went up 23-20 late in the set, and held on for a 25-23 win.
Guelph got off to a quick start in the fourth set, building leads of 6-1 and 10-4 with five straight points off Warnholtz's serve. The Blues battled back cutting the lead to three before Guelph would rally again widening the gap to 23-18. Toronto once again made it close, pulling to within one, before the Gryphons finished the set off 25-22.
The Varsity Blues (5-9) travel to Windsor to take on the Lancers (3-11) on Friday, February 1 in an 8 p.m. tilt.
M-Volleyball vs Guelph 1/27/2013 Gallery
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