GUELPH, Ont. (November 19, 2016) - The Queen's Gaels (5-2) were defeated in Guelph tonight by the Gryphons (5-1) in a competitive contest. Guelph took the game in the fifth set, the scores being  29-31, 20-25, 25-20, 25-21, and 15-6.

GAME FLOW
In the first set, the offences were clicking, with the Gaels putting up 19 kills compared to the Gryphons 18. The matchup was extremely close and every point mattered in the marathon set. The entire set was tight, with no lead exceeding three points. Queen's earned another set point at 30-29, and the tricolour won it on a huge kill by Markus Trence (Orangeville, Ont.), who had 23 kills in the match. 

The second set was similar to the first, as both teams battled hard for each and every point. A timeout for the Gryphons with a score of 12-9 for the Gaels actually went in favour of the Gaels where they created their biggest lead with a score of 16-10.  The Tricolour were able to keep that momentum and a five point lead to finish the game with a serve by Jamie Wright, going up 2-0 in the match with a final score of 25-20 in the set. 

The third set is when things started to get difficult for the Gaels, as the Gryphons came back fighting and were determined to extend the match. After Guelph took the third with a score of 20-25, the crowd started to get behind the home team. The fourth set was a repeat of the third, with the Gaels committing nine errors in each set. The Gryphons used their momentum to take the fourth set 25-21. 

The fifth set was the deciding factor of the game, and Guelph was nearly flawless when it mattered. The Gryphons doubled the Gaels kill total and committed just one attacking errors to Queen's 4. The final score of the set was 15-6 as Guelph went on to win the match 3-2.

Joel Rudd (Cambridge, Ont.) contributed a team-high 11 digs defensively, while Trence had 10 digs. Zac Hutcheson (Kingston, Ont.) supported Trence on offence with 15 kills. 

BY THE NUMBERS
23 - Markus Trence contributed a career-high 23 kills
49 - The number of assists by Gaels setter Jamie Wright
1st - Trence and Wright are first in OUA kills and assists, respectively

UP NEXT
The Gaels will play next Saturday at 2PM in Toronto against the York Lions. The Lions currently sit 3-2 this season with 6 points in the OUA standings compared to the Gaels 10 points.