By Tristan Forde
The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) men’s volleyball team were shut down by the York Lions in a 3-1 loss on Seniors Night at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) on Saturday night.
Bold head coach Niko Rukavina entered the noiseless gym alongside the players’ families to give a heartfelt goodbye to all of the graduating seniors on the team.
Fourth-year outside hitters Lyam Krapp, Jacob Walker, Ben Davey, Lucas Yang, fourth-year setter Taylor Wenzel and graduate student right side Alex King were celebrated tonight as this year’s seniors. The audience cheered and celebrated as the players returned to their benches for the game to start.
Meanwhile, Bold Alumni, family members and coaching staff celebrated the graduating players with a potluck in the overhead gallery on The Lookout.
“They’re gonna graduate, but that doesn’t mean they are gonna leave our family, they are gonna be back and they’re a part of the brotherhood,” said Rukavina.
The Bold caged up the Lions with a three-set sweep on Valentines day on Friday night, giving hope to the final game of the regular season.
The matchup acted as a must-win for the Bold in order to earn a spot in the playoffs, but their efforts weren’t enough and TMU will miss out on the Ontario University Athletics playoffs for a second year in a row.
Even before the first serve, the crowd could be heard cheering and chirping in the stands, as fourth-year Lions setter Jasraj Nijjar took to the line for the first serve of the game.
“The energy was good but we just couldn’t carry it to five [sets],” said fourth-year outside hitter Kai Higuchi, who will come back for another year with the team despite being a fourth-year student.
The Bold found a flow early on in the game and tried to ride it through the first set, but the Lions brought a new energy compared to Friday and kept the game neck-and-neck.
Fourth-year middle Alex Dorling emerged from the pride as a reliable offensive choice, consistently finding his way through and pouncing on the Bold defence.
Dorling was a lynch pin for the Lions to come out on top, providing 13 kills alongside a .706 hitting percentage in the game.
With both teams tied at 12-12, the Lions offered up easy prey with a free ball that Walker and Wenzel would capitalize off of—scoring with a pipe swing hitting Nijjar right in the chest.
With both teams having an equal level of offence, the game shifted to a defence battle. With emotions running high and sweat permeating in the air. Both teams took the first set all the way to 31-31. York ultimately took the first set 33-31 with a block by third-year middle Dennis Cota.
The Lions reentered the set in search of revenge for their last loss, completely taking control of the game. Even with the cheers and support from the crowd, the Bold couldn’t catch their footing. Nijjar and Dorling led the Lion’s charge forward.
Nijjar proved to be the main hurdle in the Bold’s flight path. On back-to-back plays he caught the home team’s defence off guard with dumps.
The Lions pursued on and stole the second set from the Bold 25-13.
Reinvigorated by the cheers of the crowd, the Bold re-entered the court with newfound bravery for the third set. A few substitutions saw them return with a more familiar lineup on the court as fourth-year middle Bobby Tang and second-year outside hitter Day Westell joined their teammates on the court.
After a clean back set from Wenzel that flew to King, he moved to the right side of the court to defend his throne. He planted his axe into the floor as he scored with a kill for the Bold.
For his graduating game, King gave one final performance for his home audience. He had three solo-blocks and one block assist. He also led the Bold with 13 kills with a .317 hitting per cent.
“I’m trying to go the professional route…My volleyball journey definitely isn’t ending here,” said King.
The Lions defensive line started to crumble. But as one final stand, fifth-year outside hitter Martin Prinsloo and third-year middle Dennis Cota put up a roof block to shut out Walker’s swing.
This attempt wouldn’t amount to anything as the Bold left the little felines outside with a 25-13 lead.
“We’re building a culture [and] a program that I want to lead and this was a good first step,” said Rukavina.
Heading into the fourth frame, the Lions were looking to end the game, whereas the Bold were preparing to take the game to a fifth set. As they took to the court a bloodlust flowed through the air. The two carnivores entered the battlefield ready.
Each team went for each other’s necks, going point-for-point. The Bold struggled to find a way to deal with Cota, as he consistently clipped the Bold wings.
Third-year outside hitter Alex Ko would play a key role in putting an early end to the Bold’s season. During this game, Ko led the Lions with 13 kills and 15 digs.
The Lions would pull away from the Bold and ultimately take the set at 25-22, earning a triumphant 3-1 win, sending the Bold back to classes.
“I feel like the bonds we made with everyone, not just the seniors, the relationship we formed was so good we have leadership for next year,” said Higuchi.
UP NEXT: The Bold head to the off-season looking to rebuild the team after six players left the team.
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