Box Score BELLEVILLE, Ont. – With five teams contending for top spot in the OCAA men's volleyball conference standings, any match could make or break a season.
 
Durham College head coach George Matsusaki knows that and he had his team prepared for victory on Wednesday night as they earned a hard fought 3-1 road win over Loyalist.
 
The opening set went the distance with Durham edging out the Lancers 28-26, but the home team responded with a 25-19 win. The third set was another see-saw battle with Durham pulling out a 29-27 victory. This time, Loyalist ran out of gas and was not able to rebound as Durham took the final set 25-15.
 
Rory Langley (Uxbridge, Ont.) and Harrison Wood (Nebraska, U.S.) were unstoppable as they hooked up for 20 kills. Langley finished the night with a staggering 52 assists while Wood was efficient going 20-for-30 in kill attempts.
 
Matt McGirr (Brampton, Ont.) also had the hot hand for Durham posting 12 kills and three blocks while Nick Coleman (Brooklin, Ont.) had eight kills. Braydon Rodgers (Leaskdale, Ont.) led the Lords with 12 digs.
 
Ben Hoftyzer and Joe Bresee each had 10 kills for Loyalist.
 
Durham sits atop of the OCAA east region standings with a 10-2 record, a half game in front of the idle Seneca Sting (9-2). Georgian (9-3), Trent (8-3) and Fleming (8-3) also remain in the hunt for the conference title.
 
The Lords will hit the road again on Saturday when they take on the George Brown Huskies (5-6). Durham beat the Huskies 3-0 at home in October, but the team has improved as the season has progressed.
 
QUICK LOOK AT THE LORDS
Overall Record: 15-13
Conference Record: 10-2
 
Next Game: Saturday, Jan. 16 at George Brown