FANSHAWE AND HUMBER ADVANCE TO OCAA MEN’S VOLLEYBALL FINAL

LONDON, Ont. – On the second day of the 2022-23 OCAA Men’s Volleyball Championship hosted by Fanshawe College, the final four teams battled in semi-final matches for a place in the final.

In the first semi-final game of the evening, the No. 14 nationally-ranked Humber Hawks (16-5, 2nd West) were victorious over the Mohawk Mountaineers (12-9, 4th West) three sets to one. Humber started the match off strong and separated themselves early from the Mountaineers with service aces from OCAA West Division Second Team All-Stars Jaydon Milne and Jake Gomes. The West Division’s top hitter Anthony Beijes had some solid kills for the Mountaineers, but the Hawks maintained their lead and won the first set 25-15. The Mountaineers brought the energy in the second frame with great defence from OCAA West Division First Team All-Star Turner Neame and consecutive hits from Beijes. Midway through the set, Humber began to chip away and gained a slim advantage with a kill from OCAA West Division All-Rookie Michael McAlpine. The teams exchanged points until late in the set, when a big block from the Hawks put them ahead and they would win set two by a score of 25-23.

In an exciting third set, both teams had strong attacks from their key performers. A huge kill from Humber’s Maximum Crowder gave the Hawks a burst of energy, but the Mountaineers would not let up. A massive block from Beijes got Mohawk back in it, and the Mountaineers would take the third set 25-23. Humber started to show their dominance in the fourth frame and began to wear down Mohawk. The Hawks had back-to-back hits from Teyven Blackmore and Jaskarn Kalsi to secure their lead. Humber would go on to win set four 25-16 and the match 3-1 to advance to Saturday’s gold medal match. Beijes was a well-deserved Player of the Match for Mohawk, with an incredible 27 points. Gomes was named the Player of the Match for Humber, notching 11 points, 31 assists and 12 digs.

The second semi-final match of the night featured the No. 2 nationally-ranked Fanshawe Falcons (18-2, 1st West) and the Cambrian Golden Shield (15-6, 3rd West), where the Falcons came away with an exciting five-set victory in front of a packed Glenn Johnston Athletic Centre. The Falcons flew out to a quick start in the opening frame, showing their well-balanced offensive attack. Consecutive service aces from Alain Pineault stretched Fanshawe’s lead midway through the set. Cambrian got back into it with a kill from setter Jack Daley to keep the Golden Shield within reach. A big block from OCAA West Division Second Team All-Star Jason Diotte put Cambrian in the lead and the Golden Shield would take the first set 25-23. The back and forth continued in the second frame, with both teams leaving it all on the court. OCAA West Division First Team All-Stars, Sven Trodel from Cambrian and Tanner Paterson from Fanshawe traded kills, as the squads remained tied midway through the set. A well-placed tip from Jack Voght got the Falcons going, but Cambrian responded with a service ace from Nathan Scully to quiet the home crowd. After a hard-fought second set, the Golden Shield capitalized and won set two 25-20.

In set three, the Birds stepped up their game and came out with intensity. OCAA Player of the Year and CCAA All-Canadian Sebastian Lethbridge had a block that got the Fanshawe crowd on their feet. Pineault used that momentum to gain another point for the Birds as the Falcons stretched their lead. Fanshawe got back on track with a well-executed 25-17 third set victory. Both teams came ready to play in the fourth set, hustling for each point. Excellent swings on both ends from Fanshawe’s Daniel Ridings and Cambrian’s Stephen Brown showed the talent on both sides of the net. A middle attack from OCAA West Division First Team All-Star Jayden Crowther gave the home team the spark of energy they needed to gain momentum. Kills from Voght and Pineault extended Fanshawe’s lead and they would force a fifth set with a 25-19 fourth set win. In the final set, Paterson had back-to-back kills to ignite the home crowd and put the Birds in the lead. Ridings added a service ace to give Fanshawe an 8-5 mid-set advantage. The energy of the Falcons bench and the home crowd carried them to victory, as the Birds completed the comeback with a 15-9 fifth set win. Voght led Fanshawe with 19 points and was named their Player of the Match. Trodel, who had 16 points, was named the Player of the Match for Cambrian. The win not only secured Fanshawe a spot in the gold medal match, but it also guaranteed a seat at the CCAA national championship from March 8-11, hosted by Humber College in Etobicoke.

The OCAA Men’s Volleyball championship wraps up on Saturday, with Mohawk and Cambrian taking the court at 4:30 p.m. for the bronze medal game, then Humber and host Fanshawe fighting for gold at 7:30 p.m. All news, stats, webcasts and up-to-date results can be found on the 2023 OCAA Men’s Volleyball Championship website www.ocaa.com/mvb. Tickets can be purchased at the gate for $10 and parking is free on weekends in the general lots.

Source: Fanshawe Falcons

Championship Website: www.ocaa.com/mvb

Live Webcast: www.ocaa.com/ocaalive

Thursday, February 23
Quarter-Finals
Game #1: Humber def. Algonquin 3-0
Game #2: Mohawk def. Georgian 3-0
Game #3: Cambrian def. Canadore 3-0
Game #4: Fanshawe def. Redeemer 3-0

Friday, February 24
Semi-Finals
Game #5: Humber def. Mohawk 3-1
Game #6: Fanshawe def. Cambrian 3-2

Saturday, February 25
Bronze Medal Match
Mohawk vs. Cambrian – 4:30pm
Winning team presented OCAA Bronze Medal at conclusion of match

Gold Medal Match
Humber vs. Fanshawe – 7:30pm
OCAA Gold and Silver Medals presented at conclusion of match
 

– OCAA –

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