WATERLOO, Ont. – The Guelph Gryphons men's volleyball team has been finding ways to grind out wins all season long. But the Gryphons ran into some trouble on a tough weekend road trip. Guelph battled but couldn't match the Waterloo Warriors' firepower in a straight-sets loss (19-25, 19-25, 24-26) at the PAC Sunday.
 
The Gryphons refused lay down against Waterloo, especially in a dramatic third set rally. The Warriors went up 23-18 in the third thanks to a Bennett Newell kill but Guelph managed its best stretch of the match, capping a 5-0 run with an Oliver Hissink ace to make it 23-23. With the set up for grabs at 24-24, the Warriors closed it out with a Deman Dulat kill and a Gryphon error on the final two points for an important sweep.
 
There was a reason Guelph was so desperate in the late stages of the third. While the Gryphons remain two games ahead of Waterloo in the OUA West standings, the Warriors now own the tiebreak between the two because of the straight-sets win. Guelph defeated the Warriors 3-1 in the season opener.
 
The already depleted Gryphons took another hit as they were without OUA All-star Zach Newman, who was hurt in a 3-2 loss at Ryerson last night. Hissink led the way with 8 kills, 2 aces, and 2 blocks. Setter Gideon Dresser had a team-high 22 assists, while Christian Bechard registered 8 digs.
 
Guelph was up 9-8 in the first set after a Waterloo service error but the hosts began to pull away with a 4-0 run to make 18-12. They kept a comfortable cushion the rest of the way and took a 1-0 lead on a Nolan Spencer kill.
 
The Warriors came out flying in the second set and seemed to be cruising at 14-6. But Guelph had a pair of 4-0 runs as well as a 3-0 run to get within three points at 22-19. The rally was snuffed out after two straight Dulat kills got Waterloo to 24-19 and the hosts benefitted from a Gryphon attack error to go up 2-0.
 
Guelph had 25 kills and committed 20 errors for a hitting percentage of .065. The Warriors had 37 kills and 37 assists.
 
Gryphon Take
"The injury bug hit us again. It's tough to be without one of your best players (Newman) in a match that's so important. Waterloo is a good, big team. They served us well and we didn't pass it and when that happens, you become predictable. That third set was critical because it gives them the tiebreaker." – head coach Cal Wigston
 
The Record
Guelph is 8-6.
 
Next up
McMaster, Friday, Feb. 15, 8 pm @ Guelph Gryphons Athletics Centre Senior Night