Rams lose heartbreaker to Gryphons
The playoff hopes of the Ryerson Rams men's volleyball team took a big hit Friday night, as the squad dropped a 3-2 (25-23, 20-25, 25-18, 12-25, 19-17) heartbreaker to the Guelph Gryphons at Kerr Hall.
Both teams looked hesitant out of the gate, as the first set was close the entire way. Officiating would become an issue late in the frame, as several non-calls on apparent net violations allowed Guelph to squeak out a 25-23 win. The officials would remain a target as the match progressed, with both coaching staffs voicing their displeasure on calls in and around the net.
Ryerson managed to pull itself together in the second set, roaring out to an 8-3 lead at the first technical time out. The Gryphons would chip away at the Rams' advantage, however, narrowing the lead to only two. But with the score 19-17, Logan McClevis hammered home a big kill to swing momentum back in favour of the home side, who pushed on to a 25-20 victory.
The tug-of-war continued in the third set, as Ryerson's inability to control their kills allowed Guelph to open up an early 11-5 lead. Although Ryerson would narrow the gap to just one, Winston Rosser would lead the Gryphons on a 6-0 run to close out the set, and take a 2-1 lead in the match.
The Rams weren't about to let this one slip away and came out swinging in the fourth. After recording a pair of loud kills early in the game, Luka Milosevic's serving powered Ryerson on a 7-0 run that put the home side up 17-5. From there, the Rams glided to a 25-12 victory and forced a fifth-set tiebreak.
The tiebreak was an intense seesaw battle, as the teams pushed back and forth to determine a winner. Ryerson looked nervous early on, as the Gryphons leapt out to a 5-1 lead. But as they had done all match, the Rams fought back to tie the set at six. Although a Brent Harris block briefly gave Ryerson a 7-6 advantage, the lead would swap hands several times down the stretch, as neither team could string together a run of any significance. Guelph would hold match point four times before Rosser finally claimed the win with an ace.
Although his team couldn't pull out the win, Ryerson coach Mirek Porosa says he is proud of how his team handled adversity. "We left our hearts on the floor. There's nothing left in the tank," he said. "I'm very proud of them. It's a tough loss. Every loss is tough, but especially this one where we came from behind so many times."
With the win, Guelph surges ahead of Ryerson in the OUA standings, and sits alone in fourth with a 10-7 record. Rosser led the way for the visitors, recording a match-high 22 points on 16 kills and five aces. James Stamler was also strong for the victorious Gryphons, notching 10 kills and 13 points, while Jon Waito added 39 assists. Guelph will try to keep the good times rolling tomorrow, when they visit Toronto (7-10).
In what was a highly-emotional game, the Rams received production from their entire roster. Chris McLaughlin had 18 kills and 12 points for Ryerson, while McClevis and David Marynowicz each added 11 kills and 12 points in the loss. Wame Odumetse recorded eight digs for the Rams, including several in the tiebreak to keep his squad in it.
Ryerson falls to 9-8 with the loss, and now sit tied with Waterloo for fifth in the OUA. While the Rams will have to keep winning games if they want to hold on to the final playoff spot, things won't be getting easier any time soon.
Tomorrow, the Rams face a tough test as CIS No. 4 McMaster (14-3) pulls into Kerr Hall. "It's going to be a battle," Porosa said. "This is a very emotional loss, and it's going to stay in our hearts. I don't know what we're going to do. But if we're going to make the playoffs, we've got to win matches. So we'll see what happens."
Recap Written by
Scott Nowoselski, Sports Information Assistant
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NAIA Finals Mens Volleyball Park University Highlightsby black18shirts6,296 views
this idiot said the 5th set goes to 19
Tayswiftable 1 year ago
Go Gryphon's :)
oryxfreeride 3 years ago 2