February 27, 2005
YORK TAKES OUA CHAMPIONSHIP IN GAME 3 THRILLER
The York Lions are 2004-05 OUA Champions after defeating the Western Mustangs in a hard-fought and entertaining 3-2 victory before a home crowd at the Tait McKenzie Centre on Saturday afternoon.
Jason Kinoshita and Ryan Anderson, each named first team All-Stars earlier this week, played true to that recognition with key plays down the stretch to lift York to victory. Anderson led all players with 17 kills, while Kinoshita added six kills and 39 assists. James Battiston also played a strong game, adding 14 kills and five blocks.
The Lions started slow as Western grabbed an early 4-0 lead in the first set. York had difficulties getting the ball over the net, and by the first technical timeout, the Mustangs held a five-point advantage. Jordan Matthews dropped one of his two services aces to pull York within two but that would be as close as York would get, as Mustang All-Star Peter Sidler sealed the deal with a set-point kill to give Western the 25-17 win.
York put up a better effort in the next frame, kicking off a 7-4 run on the backs' of solid offensive play from Paul Podstawaka and Anderson. The Mustangs clawed back, however, and every time the Lions scored the go-ahead, Western would even it up. York won the set 25-21 when Alex Jerome's spike went just wide.
In the third stanza, the Mustangs held the momentum early on and maintained a two-point edge over the Lions for most of the game. Sidler dropped a service ace for Western to make the score 16-13 by the second technical timeout. With the score tied at 18, Kinoshita delivered an emphatic spike to give York the lead. A Battiston delivery found the open court to give York the 25-23 victory.
Western dominated the next set with a series of runs that at one point put the Lions behind by as many as 10. The Mustangs took the fourth frame, 25-14, to give York its most one-sided set loss of the series.
After being beaten soundly in the fourth frame, York responded with a convincing 15-10 fifth-set victory. Anderson dropped the winning kill right at the feet of Western's defenders to give York its first OUA Championship title since 1993-94.
"This was the best volleyball that has been played in a long, long, time," said York head coach Wally Dyba, who guided York to its ninth provincial Championship. "Everyone was on the edge of their seats."
"We had challenges this year with major injuries at key positions," added Dyba. "We had three rookies in the starting rotation, but we were able to make the adjustments, which is a testament to our team and the quality of athletes we have."
The Mustangs held an advantage over the Lions in serves, recording only six errors to York's 15. Sidler led his team with 13 kills, six digs, and four block assists. Mustang left side hitter Adam Dumond had a team-high 14 kills, while Dan Miller and Alex Jerome rounded out the scoring with 10 and nine kills, respectively.
With the win, York advances to the CIS Championship at Laval, Quebec on March 4- 6.
OUA MEN'S VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Tue. Feb 22 - Western 2 at York 3 (25-22, 25-21, 20-25, 23-25, 13-15)
Thu. Feb 24 - York 1 at Western 3 (22-25, 25-14, 22-25, 21-25)
Sat. Feb 26 - Western 2 at York 3 (25-17, 21-25, 23-25, 25-14, 10-15)
(Source: Keith Boshart, York Sports Information Assistant)
Jason Kinoshita and Ryan Anderson, each named first team All-Stars earlier this week, played true to that recognition with key plays down the stretch to lift York to victory. Anderson led all players with 17 kills, while Kinoshita added six kills and 39 assists. James Battiston also played a strong game, adding 14 kills and five blocks.
The Lions started slow as Western grabbed an early 4-0 lead in the first set. York had difficulties getting the ball over the net, and by the first technical timeout, the Mustangs held a five-point advantage. Jordan Matthews dropped one of his two services aces to pull York within two but that would be as close as York would get, as Mustang All-Star Peter Sidler sealed the deal with a set-point kill to give Western the 25-17 win.
York put up a better effort in the next frame, kicking off a 7-4 run on the backs' of solid offensive play from Paul Podstawaka and Anderson. The Mustangs clawed back, however, and every time the Lions scored the go-ahead, Western would even it up. York won the set 25-21 when Alex Jerome's spike went just wide.
In the third stanza, the Mustangs held the momentum early on and maintained a two-point edge over the Lions for most of the game. Sidler dropped a service ace for Western to make the score 16-13 by the second technical timeout. With the score tied at 18, Kinoshita delivered an emphatic spike to give York the lead. A Battiston delivery found the open court to give York the 25-23 victory.
Western dominated the next set with a series of runs that at one point put the Lions behind by as many as 10. The Mustangs took the fourth frame, 25-14, to give York its most one-sided set loss of the series.
After being beaten soundly in the fourth frame, York responded with a convincing 15-10 fifth-set victory. Anderson dropped the winning kill right at the feet of Western's defenders to give York its first OUA Championship title since 1993-94.
"This was the best volleyball that has been played in a long, long, time," said York head coach Wally Dyba, who guided York to its ninth provincial Championship. "Everyone was on the edge of their seats."
"We had challenges this year with major injuries at key positions," added Dyba. "We had three rookies in the starting rotation, but we were able to make the adjustments, which is a testament to our team and the quality of athletes we have."
The Mustangs held an advantage over the Lions in serves, recording only six errors to York's 15. Sidler led his team with 13 kills, six digs, and four block assists. Mustang left side hitter Adam Dumond had a team-high 14 kills, while Dan Miller and Alex Jerome rounded out the scoring with 10 and nine kills, respectively.
With the win, York advances to the CIS Championship at Laval, Quebec on March 4- 6.
OUA MEN'S VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Tue. Feb 22 - Western 2 at York 3 (25-22, 25-21, 20-25, 23-25, 13-15)
Thu. Feb 24 - York 1 at Western 3 (22-25, 25-14, 22-25, 21-25)
Sat. Feb 26 - Western 2 at York 3 (25-17, 21-25, 23-25, 25-14, 10-15)
(Source: Keith Boshart, York Sports Information Assistant)
