It would be easy to lose sight of focus among all the flying bodies delivering pounding spikes at York last Thursday night. The men’s volleyball team (7-2) almost lost theirs in a thrilling five-game win over the eighth-ranked Yeomen (6-2) in a match that sent the Blues into winter break on a three-game win streak.

After taking control in the first game the Blues stumbled before regaining their balance in a 25-20, 22-25, 26-28, 25-14, 15-11 victory. Second-year hitters Jon So and Adrian Weglo took control in the abbreviated final game delivering timely kills, aces and blocks on their way to a 13-9 lead that was too much for their hosts to overcome.

“Right now we’re a really strong, tall team that plays a lot from the outside,” said Weglo. “As long as those players are on their game we can basically beat anyone in the province and hopefully the country.”

The final blows were ironically self-inflicted for York, as the intimidating blocking of the Blues throughout the contest forced consecutive spikes out of bounds to clinch the match. The victory gives Toronto 14 points and ties them for first place in the OUA East with Queen’s (7-1). U of T will battle the Gaels in their first game back from the break on January 11.

“We’ve gone a couple times really tight with them, so I think this is really going to give us some motivation to train over the break,” added Weglo. “Hopefully we’ll be even more spectacular come January and February.”

The common theme throughout the night was a Toronto run to open each game followed by a response from York midway through to tighten everyone’s nerves. In the second and third games the Blues held leads of 9-5 and 17-13 respectively before succumbing to runs that were supported by an enthusiastic if not heckling crowd.

“When we get ahead in games we tend to fall back behind,” said third-year hitter Marc Arseneau. “We get into mental lapses every once in a while. We’ll clean that up as the year goes along.”

The inexperience of this year’s team due to the loss of some veterans has created a more competitive environment in practice, with players earning their way into matches and filling holes vacated by the departures. By the end of the season players expect the tenacity to pay off.

“The young guys are out to prove themselves and everyone is fighting for a starting spot,” said Arseneau. “The games now are a little bit more shaky without the experience, but by the end of the year everything should be fine.”