Women’s volleyball team wins fifth-straight battle

The York Lions women’s volleyball team moved to within two points of first-place Toronto in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East Division with a pair of wins this weekend. The Lions will look to move even closer to the Varsity Blues when they host Toronto on Saturday at 6pm at the Tait McKenzie Centre. On Friday, the team also battles Brock at 6pm at home. Sitting in second place in the OUA East Division, the Lions have won five in a row after topping the Lakehead Thunderwolves in a pair of 3-0 contests this weekend. Elizabeth Salas led the team in scoring with 11 points and 11 kills on Saturday, while Candice Paulsen had eight kills to lead the team on Sunday.

The men’s volleyball team split a pair of matches this weekend, defeating the Windsor Lancers (3-1) and falling to the Western Mustangs (3-1). OUA scoring leaders Ryan Anderson and Paul Podstawka contributed a combined 30 kills and 37 points in the Windsor victory. The pair also added 29 kills and 33 points in the loss to Western. This week, York plays host to Toronto on Saturday at 8pm at the Tait McKenzie Centre.

The No. 5-ranked women’s basketball team travels east this weekend to face the Ottawa Gee-Gees and Carleton Ravens. The Lions swept both teams at home two weeks ago. Over the weekend, York improved to 13-2 on the year with a pair of wins over cross-town rivals Ryerson (85-55) and Toronto (85-65). Female Athlete of the Week Emily Van Hoof (right) led the team in scoring with 16 points against the Rams and added a double-double in the squad’s win over the Varsity Blues with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

The No. 10-ranked men’s basketball team went 1-1 this weekend, defeating the Ryerson Rams (77-67) and falling to the Toronto Varsity Blues (89-61). Fifth-year centre, Jordan Foebel led the team in scoring, posting 21 points and 12 rebounds in the victory over Ryerson. Three other players put up double-digits the following night in the loss to Toronto. Male Athlete of the Week Bryan Banks (left) came off the bench in both games to start in place of injured captain Dan Eves. The 6’2" forward had 15 points against Ryerson and 13 points vs Toronto. The Lions travel to Ottawa to face the No. 1-ranked Carleton Ravens and the No. 5-ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees this weekend.

The men’s hockey team hosts the Western Mustangs on Thursday at 7:30pm at Canlan Ice Sports Arena at York. The Lions will then travel to Waterloo to take on the Warriors. Last week, the squad split a pair of road games, beating the Brock Badgers (3-2) and losing to the Laurier Golden Hawks (4-1). Tyler Harrison led the team in points with a goal and two helpers in the victory over Brock.

Last week, the women’s hockey team dropped its regular season meeting vs Toronto, 3-1 before posting a exhibition win and tie against the Mississauga Jr. Chiefs (7-4) and Carleton Ravens (3-3). This week, York travels across the city to take on the Varsity Blues on Friday evening before returning home to face the Queen’s Golden Gaels on Saturday at 6pm.

The Lions track and field team competed in the Toronto Track Classic this weekend. Kaitlin Coopman ran a personal best time of 3:03.3 in the 1,000 metres to claim a berth in the OUA Championship. Elijah Allen also earned himself a spot in the OUA final with a second place finish in the pentathlon. This week, the Lions travel to Montreal for the McGill Team Challenge.

On Saturday, the Lions men’s and women’s swim teams participate in a quad meet hosted by Brock. The two teams will be joined by Waterloo and Western at the event. The following day, the Lions travel to Waterloo for a quad meet at Laurier with Laurentian and Waterloo.