The Queen's Gaels triumphed over the York Lions 3-2 on Saturday night on the road after falling just short in last night's five-set match. Leading the Queen's offense were two fourth year outside hitters; Reed Venning (Arts & Science), who put up 17 kills and 5 service aces, and Nikola Mitrovic (Economics), who made 15 kills, 1 service ace, and 1 solo block. Second year setter Wyatt Hall (Arts & Science) had a great night, making 41 assists, 1 kill, 3 service aces, and 2 solo blocks. Queen's was lethal on the service line, making 15 service aces as a team, with Ben Carr (Arts & Science) contributing three and Alex Brdarevic (Engineering) adding two.
After last night's loss, Queen's came into the game seeking redemption. The Gaels were strong on offense in the first set, with 17 kills as a team and only 1 attack error. The Gaels found a 20-11 lead after a six-point run. Queen's was able to close out the set with the help of back-to-back kills from Mitrovic to win the set decisively 25-14.
Venning came into the second set firing, earning themselves a service ace early in the set. Setter Hall made a strategic kill off the second touch, thrilling the away team's bench. Despite this, a four-point run brought the Lions a small lead, as they threatened to tie up the game. Queen's began to struggle with their attack errors late in the set, allowing the Lions to take the second set 25-16.
With the game tied up, the teams kept the score close in the third set. The teams continued to tie the score up to 9-9, when Queen's regained momentum with back-to-back service aces from Venning. The Gaels were powerful on the service line, with service aces in the set coming from Venning, Carr, Hall, and Mitrovic. Queen's was able to reverse the score from the second set, coming out on top with a 25-16 win in the third.
The fourth set came with a difficult start from the Gaels, as the away team struggled with their errors, giving up the first six points. The Lions held a 9-1 lead early, forcing a Queen's timeout. Returning from the break, the Gaels remained composed and picked up four points, which included Venning's fourth service ace of the game and a kill by Mitrovic. Carr continued to be strong on the service line, making their third ace of the game to close the York lead to 13-10. The Gaels trailed all set, however, the Lions made attack errors late in the set that allowed Queen's to tie the score back 20-20. Despite the Queen's comeback, York reached set point first at 24-22 and ultimately took the set narrowly 25-23.
With the game on the line, Queen's remained composed in the fifth set. The Gaels made three service aces in the final set, and despite trailing at the beginning, were able to tie up the score at 8-8. Queen's took the final four points of the game, taking the set 15-11 and earning themselves a gritty five-set win.
The Gaels will return to regular season action after the winter break, where they will face off against the Guelph Gryphons at home on January 9th at 7:30pm. Queen's improves their record to 8-2.
