TORONTO, Ont. (November 26, 2016) - The Queen's Gaels (3-5) were defeated by the York Lions (4-3) in a close match up that went to five sets in Toronto, the scores being 25-11, 17-25, 20-25, 25-22, and 15-12.

GAME FLOW
The match opened up with a 7-0 lead for the Lions. It was a kill by Caroline Livingston (Kelowna, B.C.) put the Gaels on the board and gave Queen's an opportunity to get back into the game. With multiple hitting errors for the Gaels, however, the Lions were able to keep their lead. York didn't give up many points, taking the first set with a final score of 25-11 for the Lions. 

The second set started with a much closer score, being tied at 2-2 the teams both gave their best effort to work for every point. Nicola Ros (North Vancouver) set up multiple hits for the tricolour that gave the Gaels the lead they were looking for. Queen's worked as a team to bounce back from the first set. An excellent service ace by Danielle Corrigan (North Vancouver) finished the set in the Gaels favour as they came out on top 25-17. 

Early in the third set, neither Queen's nor York could establish a commanding lead. Three service aces from Livingston gave the Gaels an 18-12 lead over the Lions after the technical timeout. The set finished with a huge block from Ros and Isabelle Birchall (Ottawa) to give the tricolour a 25-20 win and a 2-1 lead in the match.

The fourth set was pivotal for the Gaels, as they could have closed out the match with a win. The score was close the entire game, with neither team earning more than a three point lead. At a score of 22-21, York took advantage of a few Queen's errors to take the set 25-22 and force a fifth set. 

Tensions were high in the final set, with the teams deadlocked at 7-7. After the Lions got to the break first first, they led for the remainder of the set. A kill by York's Sarah Williams finished the set at 15-12 for the Lions, giving the home team a 3-2 victory. 

Livingston led the Gaels with 16 kills and 17 digs. Isabelle Korchinski (Anmore, B.C.) contributed 12 kills and 15 digs, while Corrigan added 10 kills and Danika Ahac (North Vancouver) made 12 digs. Birchall had a solid day with the best hitting percentage on the Queen's roster, making seven kills and zero attacking errors for a .467 percentage.

Celeste Witzell and Williams had 14 kills each, while Carley Flemmer had an impressive 31 digs.

BY THE NUMBERS 
22 - Queen's plays in North Bay, Ont., 22 hours after ending their match in Toronto
3 - York is perfect at home with three wins this season
40 - Nicola Ros had 40 assists for the Gaels

UP NEXT
The Gaels will play the Nipissing Lakers tomorrow at noon. Nipissing (3-3) is currently tied with Queen's in the OUA East standings.