Gryphons beat Ryerson in five sets to claim OUA bronze

HAMILTON, ON – A season ago, the Gryphons men's volleyball team finished second last in the conference standings. One year later, they are OUA bronze medalists.
 
Saturday night in the OUA bronze medal game at McMaster University, the Gryphons defeated the Ryerson Rams in a thrilling five-set match to secure their best finish in seven years. Set scores were 25-20, 23-25, 19-25, 25-21 & 15-13.
 
"We missed our opportunity last night to make nationals and that's going to hurt for a while, but I think when we look back at this season as a whole and how far we've come over the last year, it's pretty satisfying," said Gryphons head coach Cal Wigston. "Our guys have handled adversity well all season long and that starts with the leadership we have with this group. Just really proud of this team."
 
After taking the opening set, the Gryphons were in control of the 2nd set when play was delayed for several minutes after an injury to a Ryerson player. When play resumed, the momentum seemed to shift to the Rams who would go on to take both the 2nd and the 3rd sets to go up 2-sets-to-1. With their backs against the wall, the Gryphons would respond with an impressive 4th set, sparked in part by some terrific serving by Gryphons 6'7" right side Samuel Nothnagel.
 
After forcing a 5th set, the Gryphons would edge Ryerson 15-13 to secure the bronze.
 
"It was a great win tonight against a team that boasts arguably the best player in the league," added Wigston. The player in reference is Ryerson's Lucas Coleman, a senior outside hitter who finished with 35 points on 62 total attacks. The Gryphons received some big performances themselves, with Kendrick Kerr racking up 22.5 points. Joshua Green and Zach Newman were close behind with 17 points each.

"I thought Josh (Green) carries us tonight. He passed so well, was digging up everything, and just stayed calm, cool and collected all night," said Wigston. "He's really developed the mental side of his game and he was just huge for us."
 
The Gryphons 2016-17 season has now officially come to an end. The 3rd place finish in the conference is the program's best finish since a silver medal finish following the 2009-10 season.