York volleyball underdogs make a name for themselves

Victoria Alarcon
Sports & Health Editor
You would have to see it to believe it. And even then you would still be rubbing your eyes wondering what just happened.
What was supposed to be a quick volleyball match in favour of the Windsor Lancers turned out to be a crushing five-set showdown where York fought hard to win. It started in the second set, when York’s men’s team brought on the enigmatic energy that carried on throughout the match and into the tie-breaking fifth set that ended in a delightful, sweet victory, 15-11.
“I think we were well-prepared for this game. We spent most of the holidays training and we’re playing much better than we have in the league so far,” said Hernan Humana, the Lions assistant coach.
It’s an improvement that’s not going unnoticed. The team played with a lot more accuracy, and their hard hits proved to be a huge challenge for the Lancers. In particular, outside-hitter Nikola Sandic – who not only played head-on with his opponents, but made consistent serves in the beginning of the game – stepped up and drove ball after ball to the ground. The 6’1 rookie produced 15 kills in total.
Outside-hitter Ray Szeto also played a phenomenal game, and the rookie made himself a dominant player in the match. Szeto started the game aggressive and finished the game the same way, with a tip at the end to give York the win. “It’s about discipline within our team, staying focused and passing and setting.” said Szeto after the game.
The York Lions just seemed to work better as a team this time around and, in the end, York tired their opponent out and left the Lancers trailing behind.
“They played with a lot more intensity than us and we lost our intensity,” said Windsor player Kyle Williamson. “We’re a really offensive team and it definitely didn’t show today. They dug us up a lot and we didn’t put the balls away. It was a tough loss for us.”
This victory follows a win against Budo University of Japan earlier in the day, where York outplayed the team 25-23, 25-23, 25-23 in a very tight match. York’s two wins places them first in their division and grants them a spot in the semi-finals.
“I think what we’re realizing is that we are capable of playing better and the reason that we have lost some very close games is because we don’t fully believe we can beat these teams, but that’s changing. We clearly thought and felt we could win today,” said Humana.
There is no telling how the tournament will go, and the biggest challenge still awaits the team: going up against their fiercest opponents, the Western Mustangs, one of the top teams in the country. If York can bring the same energy and the same mentality the players brought the first day, however, the outcome of this tournament may go to the underdogs after all.