INEXPERIENCE COSTLY IN YOUNG HAWKS OPENING 3-1 LOSS
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Humber ( ) | 25 | 23 | 20 | 23 | 1 |
|
Georgian ( ) | 21 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
HAMILTON, ON: The Humber Hawks men's volleyball team have been relegated to the consolation side of the draw after a 3-1 (21-25, 25-23, 25-20, 25-23) quarter-final loss to the Georgian Grizzlies.
Heading into the match, the Hawks were considered the decisive underdog against the 18-0 and East Division champion Grizzlies. Humber surprised the Georgian side early and rolled to a comfortable 25-21 first set win.
The next three sets were tight, with all teams scoring into the 20's. Three factors came into play in the loss. First was the fact that the Hawks could never get into the lead in any of the last three sets. Humber would tie, drop behind by two and then tie again.
The next two factors actually paved the way in the tight loss. The experience shown by the young Hawks squad came into play continuously, as they were unable to transition many available free balls. The third and last factor was the unforced errors, especially from the service line. At one point in what was a tight second set, the Hawks served out of bounds five times in a single rotation.
This being said, Humber worked extremely hard, and made some incredible digs to extend rallies. A break here or there and Humber could have extended the match to a fifth set.
Alex Gibbs, who was the Player of the Game for Humber, had 17 kills, one ace and one block. Clayton Blanchette had 15 kills, two aces and one block. Adam Kinoshito had 38 assists.
Humber will be playing in the consolation semi-final at 3:00 pm Friday against the Sheridan Bruins.
