TORONTO - The York Lions claimed the National Bank Invitational title this afternoon with a 3-1 victory over the Ryerson Rams. In the bronze medal match, Western defeated Queen's 3-0.

Gold Medal: York 3, Ryerson 1 (25-27, 25- 17, 25-23, 25-22)
Coach Porosa's highlights
The gold medal match was a battle between Toronto rivals York and Ryerson. The Rams got out to a 1-0 set lead but dropped the next three as the York Lions went on to claim the National Bank Invitational championship.

The two teams ended the match with similar statistical lines, proving just how close this match was. The Lions recorded 53 kills to Ryerson's 50 and ten blocks to Ryerson's nine. The Rams edged York in the digs department with 35 to the Lions' 31.

Ryerson had a strong first set, recording 19 kills to York's 11 on route to the 27-25 set victory. York reversed the tables in the second set, recording 16 kills to just eight from the Rams.

Both teams struggled with their serves, each registering four aces to twelve errors.

York's Ray Szeto (Sutton, Ont.) had a game-high 16 kills. Nikola Sandic (Etobicoke, Ont.) was also in double figures for the Lions with 14 of his own. Ryerson's Alex Dawson (Scarborough, Ont.) had a team-high 15 kills while Stefan Ristic (Belgrade, Serbia) was right behind him with 14.

Felipe Humana-Paredes (Toronto) had a strong game for the Lions with eight kills and a game-high five blocks.

Following the game, York's Ray Szeto was named tournament MVP and top scorer. Ryerson racked up three awards as Luka Milosevic (Toronto) was named top blocker, Aleksa Miladinovic (Belgrade, Serbia) was named best setter, and Stefan Ristic took home the top server award.

Bronze Medal: Western 3, Queen's 0 (25- 23, 27-25, 25-21)
The Mustangs' combination of Justin Scapinello (London, Ont.) and Garrett May (Toronto) was too much for Queen's to handle, as the two combined for 28 kills to guide Western to the bronze medal this afternoon.

Western recorded 45 total kills, registering double digits in every set. They also out hit the Gaels in every set.

Defensively, Western was able to keep a lot of rallies alive with their 32 digs. Garrett May led the way in that category with nine while libero Andre Begin (Ottawa, Ont.) added eight for the Mustangs.

Both teams tallied eight blocks in the game. Darren Edwards (Waterdown, Ont.) and Jackson Dakin (Courtenay, B.C.) each had three for Queen's. Tyler Scheerhoorn (Belleville, Ont.) was the Gaels leading attacker with nine kills in the match.

May was named best overall attacker in the tournament, as he collected 58 kills over the course of the weekend.

Final Standings
1. York Lions: 4-1
2. Ryerson Rams: 3-2
3. Western: 3-2
4. Queen's: 0-5

Tournament Awards (video)
Best Attacker - Garrett May (Western)
Best Blocker - Luka Milosevic (Ryerson)
Best Setter - Aleksa Miladinovic (Ryerson)
Best Server - Stefan Ristic (Ryerson)
Best Libero - Ivo Dramov (Queen's)
Best Scorer/MVP - Ray Szeto (York)

Day 2:

Saturday (Day 2) Results
Game 5: York 3 vs. Queen's 0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-16)
Game 6: Ryerson 3 vs. Western 1 (17-25, 25-23, 25-19, 25-20)
Game 7: #1 Ryerson 3 vs. #4 Queen's 2 (25-11, 25-20, 10-25, 17-25, 15-7)
Coach Porosa's highlights
Game 8: #2 Western 2 vs. #3 York 3 (25-21, 20-25, 25-20, 23-25, 15-17)

Sunday (Day 3) Schedule 
Game 9: Bronze Medal Game - Queen's 0 vs. Western 3 (23-25, 25-27, 21-25) 
Game 10: Gold Medal Game - Ryerson 1 vs. York 3

Final Pool Standings 
1. Ryerson - 7 points 
2. Western - 5 points 
3. York - 5 points 
4. Queen's - 1 point 

Pool Points System
- Match won 3-0 or 3-1: 3 points for the winner, 0 point for the loser
- Match won 3-2: 2 points for the winner, 1 point for the loser

In case of tie, the teams will be classified according to the following criteria: number of matches won, sets ratio and points ratio


Day 1 Recaps 
TORONTO - After day one at the National Bank Invitational tournament hosted by the Ryerson Rams at the Mattamy Athletic Centre, the Western Mustangs top the standings with a 2-0 record while both the Rams and York Lions are 1-1 and Queen's is 0-2.

Game 1: Western 3, Queen's 2 (25-12, 22- 25, 22-25, 25-19, 17-15)
In a rematch of last year's OUA championship, the first game of the tournament featured the Western Mustangs and Queen's Gaels. The defending champion Gaels, with a revamped lineup, came out of the gate slowly and the Mustangs took full advantage.

Western racked up a double digit lead and held nothing back, taking the first set by a commanding score of 25-12. Queen's seemed to get their feet under them between sets and battled through the second set to tie the match at 1-1 with a 25-22 set victory.

The third set featured some scrappy play on both sides of the net. Western benefitted from 11 Queen's attacking errors but the Mustangs could only muster eight kills in the set. The Gaels used 12 kills to propel them to a 25-22 set win and take a 2-1 lead.

Western was determined to tie the match in the fourth set and put on a hitting clinic, registering 17 kills and committing just three errors on 28 attempts in the set for a .500 hitting percentage. The Mustangs went on to a 25-19 victory to force a fifth set.

The Mustangs kept their hitting shoes on for the final set, claiming 13 points off kills compared to Queen's five. Despite the difference, the Gaels found themselves battling right down to the wire but 
eventually Western got the better of them, claiming a 17-15 set win to take the match three games to two.

Leading the Mustangs was freshman Justin Scapinello (London, Ont.) with 18 kills. Setter Sean McKay (Sudbury, Ont.) had a game-high ten digs for Western. Queen's second year attacker Mike Tomlinson (Stratford, Ont.) had 18 kills, ten more than any of his teammates. Scott Brunet (Calgary, Alta.) had a game-high four blocks in the middle for the Gaels.

Game 2: York 3, Ryerson 2 (29-27, 18- 25, 19-25, 25-15, 15-10)
The second game of the tournament followed in the footsteps of the first, going the distance with five sets as the host Ryerson Rams battled the York Lions.

The first set established the tone of the match, requiring extra points to decide its winner. York led for the majority of the set but Ryerson clawed their way back. A service ace from Alex Dawson (Scarborough, Ont.) helped the Rams reach a 24-24 tie, but York closed out the set with a 29-27 win.

Ryerson rebounded to take the next two sets by 25-18 and 25-19 scores to lead the match two sets to one. York returned the favour by claiming a 25-15 fourth set victory to force a fifth set. The Lions grabbed an early 6-0 lead in the final set and were able to ride that streak out for the remainder of the set, winning 15-10 to take the match.

Game 3: Western 3, York 0 (25-22, 25-9, 25-19)
In game three, Western and York hooked up for a match between the two winners from their first games. York was coming off the five set victory over Ryerson and never really recovered, looking fatigued against the strong Western squad.

The teams traded points back and forth throughout the first set but Western closed things out with a 25-22 win. Western asserted their dominance in the match in the second set, continuing their strong attack game and making quick work of the Lions, securing a 25-9 victory.

Down two sets to none, the Lions could not mount a comeback and Western completed the sweep with a 25-19 third set win. The Mustangs finished each set with a kill percentage above .500, averaging .542 for the entire match. They accumulated 43 total kills while York managed just 27. Garrett May (Toronto) led the Western attack with a game-high 12 kills while four other Mustangs tallied six each.

York's Nikola Sandic (Etobicoke, Ont.) and Marko Dakic (Mississauga, Ont.) both secured seven kills in the loss.

Game 4: Ryerson 3, Queen's 1 (23-25, 26- 24, 25-20, 25-10)
In the final match on day one, the Queen's Gaels jumped out to a 1-0 set lead but the Ryerson Rams responded to take the next three to win the match 3-1.

The first set was a battle from the first point to the last, with the teams looking evenly matched. Queen's had the stronger push at the end to secure a 25-23 set victory. 

Both teams increased their offensive production in the second set. The Rams tallied 14 kills to Queen's 12 and those two extra points were the difference maker as Ryerson claimed a 26-24 victory to even the match at one set apiece. 

Set three was another close set, but both teams could only produce eight kills. Several errors on both sides of the net accounted for the majority of points earned, and the Rams emerged with a 25-20 set victory. 

The Rams had their best set in the fourth to close out the match. Ryerson tallied 15 kills and had a kill percentage of .600. The Gaels, on the other hand, could only muster three kills and their hopes of evening the match were foiled as the Rams registered a 25- 10 victory to win the match 3-1. 

George Sakvarelidze (Toronto) led the Rams attack with 11 kills while Luka Milosevic (Toronto) had a game-high six blocks. Defensively, Wesley Kosiba (Toronto) tallied 10 digs for Ryerson. Queen's offence was led by freshman Matt Golas (Toronto) with seven kills. Jacob Glantz (St. Catharines, Ont.) had a team-high nine digs on the evening.

Tournament play resumes Saturday at 12:00 p.m. as York battles Queen's. Ryerson plays their final round-robin game at 2:00 p.m. against Western. Day 1 Results: Western 3-2 over Queen's York 3-2 over Ryerson Western 3-0 over York Ryerson 3-1 over Queen's