The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's volleyball team wrapped up their preseason defeating the York Lions 3-1 on Saturday (Oct. 18) afternoon at Goldring Centre Kimel Family Fieldhouse.

Set scores for the match were 25-22, 23-25, 25-16, 25-19.

The match opened with a tightly contested first set where U of T edged out York for the win. York responded in the second set to even the score in another tight contest. The Blues found their rhythm in the final two sets, showcasing a dominant offensive performance in the third set and closing it out with a fourth set victory. Overall, Toronto posted a .365 team hitting percentage, seven aces and 11 blocks.

Fifth-year outside hitter Maxime Gratton anchored the Blues offence, leading the team with 17 kills. Outside hitter's Hunter Arulpragasam and Iannis Toma each added another 13 kills to U of T's total. Meanwhile, fourth-year setter Michael Hickey controlled the pace on offence with 36 assists. Defensively, second-year middle Luka Minic recorded a game-high five blocks.

For York, Alex Ko notched eight kills while Jordan Gazzola contributed seven kills. Jasraj Nijar led the Lions in assists with 19 in the four sets.

The Blues will return to the court when they travel to Hamilton to begin the regular season against the McMaster Marauders on Saturday (Oct. 25) afternoon. First serve is scheduled for 1:30 p.m., and the game will be streamed live on oua.tv.