By Aswin Priyadharshan

The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) men’s volleyball team lost 3-0 to the Guelph University Gryphons in their first preseason matchup of the 2026-27 season on Friday evening at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC).

Last year, the Bold finished their regular season 5-15, losing two four-setters to Guelph and winning just three games at home.

Looking to start fresh, fourth-year setter Declan Dunn explained the new changes and approach that the team implemented on court.

“We had a lot of different guys going in set three. We had three new guys coming on the floor and guys that were stepping up into a lot of different positions. They’re really doing well, and I’ve been really happy with it.”

In the first set, the Gryphons got out to an early 7-4 lead by capitalizing on serving errors from the Bold. Guelph then called their first timeout of the frame as TMU slowly began crawling their way back,15-17. However, the Gryphons began to pull away, sealing the first set 25-21.

The second set saw the Bold keep the scoreline even closer. Cutting down the gap to only 7-8, strong serving from second-year outside hitter William Gimbert kept the Bold above water. Gimbert was named to the Ontario University Athletics All-Rookie Team and averaged 3.17 kills and 3.5 points per set last year.

Despite Gimbert’s offence, fine margins ultimately separated the two teams as the Bold conceded the second set, 25-22.

“A lot of it is just mainly our serve-and-pass game,” said Dunn. “That’s going to be the biggest thing because we have good attackers, good defenders, but if we can win there as well, that’s going to be the key for us moving forward.”

In the third set, the Bold held on even stronger as they tied the game early at 9-9. Soon, their first lead came at 21-19 thanks to Dunn’s impressive serving. But the Bold were unable to maintain their lead for long as the Gryphons clawed their way back into the frame, 33-31.

Finally, an additional fourth set saw the Bold start strong, immediately taking an 8-5 lead. Though the Gryphons called a quick timeout to re-organize, TMU were able to hold on to their advantage, with first-year outside hitter Ben Charles showcasing an impressive serving performance in his first few minutes of action.

In the night’s largest score gap, the Bold dominated the fourth and final frame, winning 25-16.

UP NEXT: The Bold take on the Royal Military College Paladins on Oct. 17 at the MAC. First serve is set for 4 p.m.