HAWKS UPSET DEFENDING OCAA CHAMPIONS IN FIVE SET THRILLER
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Niagara ( ) | 20 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 13 | 2 |
|
Humber ( ) | 25 | 25 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 3 |
By: Natalie Stoberman
ETOBICOKE: The Humber Hawks men's volleyball team took home a massive five set win over the defending OCAA champions Thursday night, defeating the Niagara Knights 3-2. Humber started the match hot, winning the first two sets 25-20 25-23 but then dropped the next two 16-25 15-25. The Hawks resiliently bounced back 15-13 in the fifth set, completing the upset over the seventh ranked team in the CCAA.
In what may have been the most exciting match of the season, the Hawks began aggressive, executing head coach Wayne Wilkins' game plan to perfection. Humber created strong momentum with ten kills in the set, getting four from outside hitter Scott Wilson. Setter Simon Smyth was crisp in setting up Wilson and also outside hitter Nathan Murdock for his pair of kills. The Hawks went toe-to-toe with the Knights until Humber eventually pulled away to take the set 25-20.
It was a tight second set from the start, with both squads exchanging points until the set was tied at 15. Then Murdock, a Mississauga native, stepped up for four clutch kills to put the Hawks ahead 19-16. Unfortunately the set was far from over and the Knights rallied to tie the game at 22 points apiece with a couple big kills from Nathan Snippe. Fortunately the Hawks were able to hold off the attack and narrowly pulled off the 25-23 win.
Humber had no answer for the Knights in the third set. The Hawks fell to a 10-5 deficit to fuel the Knights' loud court presence that capitalized on multiple Humber errors. Smyth finally broke the chain with a clever tip in no man's land and a few points later Murdock lit up the Knights with a lightning service ace. Still unable to string a rally together, Niagara pulled ahead 17-12 to force a Humber timeout. The Knights never looked back and dealt the Hawks a 25-16 loss.
The momentum continued to build for the Knights in fourth, as they jumped to a 5-1 lead. Humber tried to chip away with aggressive serving and timely attacks but the Hawks failed to string any rallies together. Niagara took the fourth set easily 25-15.
With the match slipping away and momentum on the side of the Knights, Humber's veteran players stepped up and took control in the decisive set. Stellar passing from libero Michael Majcen kept Humber in the mix to counter every attack from Niagara. Both teams exchanged points in the final set but Humber was able to pull through with a 15-13 victory.
The win over Niagara improves the Hawks record to 20-10 all-time and 13-2 when playing at home.
The "Hawks Nation" player of the game went to Scarborough native Michael Majcen for his amazing passing and defensive positioning that was the difference maker in the upset victory.
The Hawks will now head on the road to play the 2014-15 OCAA silver medal winner St. Clair Saints on November 22. Game time is set for 3:00pm and will be streamed live at the link below:
http://www.we-tv.ca/watch-live.html
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