This past Friday saw the men’s and women’s volleyball teams open their season on the home court against the University of Toronto Blues. Starting the night, which was highly anticipated by fans and players, the Gryphons took on the defending OUA champions in a match that ended in disappointment for the Gryphons.
Getting off to a rough start in the first set, Guelph dropped 8 points they were unable to recover, and ended the first set 25-12. Not letting this setback deter them, the Gryphons came out swinging in the second set and took the lead 15-11. Toronto showed their strength in response and tied the score up at an even 20. In the home stretch of the match, the Gryphons’ unforced errors were the difference Toronto needed to seal of the set at 25-21.
The third set began much like the first, seeing the Blues take a lead of 10-4. The Gryphons did muster up some fight, bringing the score ahead with a 17-15 lead, but a 5-0 run by the Blues snatched what would be the lead and the win at 25-20.
In the past two seasons, the Gryphons women’s team has reached the OUA Final Four but come home empty-handed both times. The last time the Gryphons took the podium in the OUA was in 2010-2011 with a silver medal, and Head Coach Paul Funk hopes to lead the 2015-2016 team to a successful season and a return to the OUA podium.
Following the straight set loss of the women’s team, the men were hoping for a different outcome. Also heading up the Blues, the men took the floor in a packed house looking to start the season strong. The Gryphons met a worthy adversary in the Blues, who came out looking to match their women’s team’s performance.
After dropping the first set 15-25 mainly due to forced errors, the Gryphons hoped for a better outcome in set 2. However, the Blues carried their momentum from the first set forward and took the second set 25-12.
Not to be defeated without a fight, the Gryphons came to life in the third set, thanks in part to a number of powerful kills by Luke Woud, one of the Gryphons’ most physically intimidating players at six feet eight inches, and newcomer Dallas Keith, as well as key defensive plays by Josh Green. The game’s turning point came from a huge block to give the Gryphons the lead they needed, which they maintained until the end of the set, winning 25-21. To the disappointment of all in attendance, this would be the end of the wins for the night, and after a slow start, the Gryphons dropped the third and final set needed for the Blues to take the win. Last year, Guelph’s men’s volleyball team rose to eighth place in the national rankings, and the Gryphons are hoping to achieve even more success in the 2015-16 season with a relatively young team. 11 of the team’s 16 players are in either their first or second year of eligibility, led by Head Coach Cal Wigston in his tenth year with the Gryphons.