LONDON, Ont. – On Saturday evening at Fanshawe College, the Humber Hawks (16-6, 5th West) won their fourth consecutive OCAA Men’s Volleyball Championship over the host Fanshawe Falcons (16-6, 2nd West) in a five-set thriller.
Hundreds of fans gathered at Fanshawe’s Glenn Johnston Athletic Centre and the Falcons were off to a terrific start in the first set. Jack Voght opened with an ace and the Falcons secured a quick 6-3 lead. On the other side, Humber’s Maximum Crowder recorded a pair of blocks, contributing to a 4-0 spurt for the Hawks. To give the home team a 17-15 advantage, Daniel Ridings read Humber’s setter dump attempt to perfection and recorded his first block of the match. Then, the Humber Hawks took control of the set when Teyven Blackmore executed a monster kill. Humber was triumphant in the first set by a score of 25-20.
The Falcons established themselves early in the second. Third-year Jayden Crowther made a couple of excellent blocks and Fanshawe jumped out to a 7-4 lead. Both teams exchanged points later in the set. Kills by Fanshawe’s Zack Admans had the crowd on their feet and Humber’s Marcus Morgan’s slams would silence the fans. Set two went back and forth until Fanshawe capitalized on a 25-22 victory.
The third set started off as another close one. Alain Pineault crushed a set from Voght to tie the score at nine each. However, the Hawks then went on a massive run, led by Jaskarn Kalsi who recorded three kills. In addition, Josh Nicholson recorded a kill, pushing Humber to a 22-17 lead over Fanshawe. The three-time defending champions closed out the set 25-19 and headed into the fourth set with a 2-1 lead.
With momentum in their favour, Humber came swinging out the gates in set four. Although down 5-1 at one point, Fanshawe fought hard to keep their season alive. Kills by Ridings and an ace from Voght brought the Falcons back into the lead. Later in the set, three consecutive kills from Admans gave the home team a 17-14 advantage and the Falcons seemed to be invincible. They closed out the set with a 25-20 win, forcing a decisive fifth set in the 2024 OCAA championship match.
Humber had another blazing start in the final set as Morgan, Blackmore, and Kalsi contributed kills in an opening 6-3 run. Leaving it all on the line, the Falcons fought back, scoring four straight points. A Pineault kill pushed Fanshawe to a 7-6 lead, but the Hawks followed with a run of their own. The Falcons could not hold on and the Hawks pulled off a four-peat, winning their fourth consecutive OCAA Men’s Volleyball Championship.
Admans was the Player of the Match for the Fanshawe Falcons. He scored 21 points off of a .432 kill percentage. Admans and Ridings were named Fanshawe’s OCAA Championship All-Stars for their phenomenal play as well as Crowder and Morgan from the Hawks. Humber’s Player of the Match was awarded to Marcus Morgan who cooked up 21 points and 10 digs. He was also named the OCAA Tournament MVP.
Both teams will now advance to the CCAA Men’s Volleyball Championship hosted by Camosun College in Victoria, B.C. from March 7-10,
BRONZE MEDAL
The Cambrian Golden Shield (15-7, 4th West) claimed their second consecutive OCAA bronze medal against the Centennial Colts (16-5, 4th West) in four sets.
The Colts and Golden Shield were neck-in-neck to open the match. Both teams were relentless, showcasing grit and a high level of intensity during long rallies. Back-row kills executed by Lionnis Salazar appeared unstoppable as he recorded eight kills within the first set. After plenty of back and forth, Centennial took set one by a score of 25-17.
The second set began in Cambrian’s favour. Kurtis Brisebois made a spectacular block and followed with a service ace to put the Golden Shield up 9-4. Then, setter Dylan Terris found Nathan Scully on a sweet back one set to further Cambrian’s advantage. It looked as if the Golden Shield had full control, but the Colts pulled off an incredible comeback and eventually tied the frame at 24 a piece. However, a kill by Scully and a block recorded by Sven Trodel awarded Cambrian two consecutive points to end the second set with a 26-24 win over the Colts.
Centennial and Cambrian fans traded roars in the third. Middle Jason Diotte slammed show-stopping kills for Cambrian and Salazar answered with kills through Golden Shield’s triple blocks. Two points was the largest score differential between the teams in the third until Cambrian went on a 3-1 run to close out the set by a score of 25-22.
The excitement between the evenly matched teams continued in set four. Two kills and a block were recorded by Cambrian’s Kyle Perreault. Then, Centennial responded with a dominating 6-1 run to take a two-point lead over the Golden Shield, but Cambrian regained the momentum. Cambrian was up 24-21 late in the set and a Scully kill secured the Golden Shield’s bronze medal victory.
Centennial’s Salazar was named Player of the Match after he recorded an outstanding 36 points. He was also honoured as an OCAA Championship All-Star. The Cambrian Player of the Match was appointed to Perreault who had 10 kills and nine digs in the match. Cambrian’s Brisebois was granted the OCAA Championship All-Star award for his all-around performances throughout the tournament.
Source: Fanshawe Falcons
Championship Website: www.ocaa.com/mvb
Live Webcast: www.ocaalive.com
Friday, February 23
Semi-Finals
Humber def. Centennial 3-2
Fanshawe def. Cambrian 3-1
Saturday, February 24
Bronze Medal Match
Cambrian def. Centennial 3-1
Gold Medal Match
Humber def. Fanshawe 3-2
– OCAA –
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