The No. 4 nationally-ranked University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's volleyball team defeated the Guelph Gryphons 3-1 (25-15, 27-25, 25-27, 25-14) on Sunday evening (Nov. 24) in Guelph, Ont.

With their eighth straight win, the Blues improve to 8-1 and sit tied for first place with the Ryerson Rams (8-1) in the OUA East division heading into the December exam break.

HOW IT HAPPENED: After dominating the first set, 25-15, the Blues found themselves down by eight (9-1) early in the second. U of T clawed their way back, evening the score at 10-10, and took a 2-0 match lead with a 27-25 victory.

The Blues found themselves down 7-3 early in the third set but evened it back up at 15-15. The Gryphons were able to inch ahead and force a fourth set, winning the third 27-25. Toronto went back to their dominant play in the fourth set, closing out the victory, 25-14.

TORONTO STATS: Four Varsity Blues reached double-digit points on the night. Fifth-year right side hitter Alina Dormann led all players with 18 points off of 15 kills, two aces and one block, and also had eight digs.

Third-year middle Jenna Woock continued her impressive play with 15.5 points off of nine kills, and 6.5 blocks, while fifth-year left side hitter Caleigh Cruickshank had 14.5 points off of 12 kills and 2.5 blocks and added a team-high 16 digs.

Fifth-year middle Anna Licht racked up 11 points off of five kills, a game-high five aces and one block, while fourth-year left side hitter Brianna Patrick had nine points and 15 digs.

Sophomore Hayley Goodwin and rookie Lidya Canturk split setting duties and tallied 14 and 29 assists, respectively. Fifth-year libero Asli Ersozoglu had 12 digs in the win.

UP NEXT: The Blues are back in action in the New Year as they host the national invitational tournament, January 3-5 at Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport.

For more information, scores and highlights on your favourite U of T athletes and teams, please visit www.varsityblues.ca. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for the latest and greatest in Varsity Blues intercollegiate athletics.