No. 1 Men's Volleyball Captures 2020 OCAA Title

PETERBOROUGH – Top-ranked Humber men's volleyball ran the table Saturday evening, defeating No. 6 Durham in straight sets to capture the 2020 OCAA Championship.

The Hawks (22-0) claimed the program's first title since 2012 and fifth overall under the leadership of head coach Wayne Wilkins.

Joshua Fadare and Rrezart Sadiku led the team with 15 points each, while Maximum Crowder finished with 10 points of his own. 

Unlike the majority of their matches this season, the Hawks were tested all match long. After squeezing out a close first set victory, Humber fell behind early in the second set, struggling from the service line while racking up a game-high five attack errors. Looking like they may lose their first set since November, the Hawks saw their deficit grow to six as Durham took a 19-13 lead. Humber never panicked and head coach Wayne Wilkins did not call a timeout and relied on his veteran players to right the ship. A seven-point service run from Eduardo Silva Ferreira - that included a big block from Jaskarn Kalsi and multiple diving digs from Rady Kim - saw the Hawks take the lead for the first time in the set. Fadare sealed the victory with a solo block on Tyler Krabi, 27-25.

Both teams exchanged points in the third set, before Durham took a two-point lead late, 20-18. A timeout from Coach Wilkins was critical in stopping Durham's momentum. After the break, the Hawks used service runs from Jake Gomes and Rrezart Sadiku to retake the lead, moving one point away from winning the title. Rady Kim received the serve from Durham and made a perfect pass to Jake Gomes who set Maximum Crowder for the game-winner.

The perfect season is now the second in program history as the 2020 team joins the 2005 squad as the only two men's volleyball programs at Humber to win an OCAA title without losing a match.

The Hawks had two players named to the all-tournament team, led by the Most Valuable Player, Jake Gomes. Joining Gomes on the all-tournament team was Rrezart Sadiku. Gomes finished the tournament with 89 assists and six aces, while Sadiku finished with 39 points and 19 digs.

Humber also received solid efforts from freshman Joshua Fadare, libero Rady Kim and middle Maximum Crowder. 

The men's volleyball title was Humber's 13th OCAA crown this season and 310th all-time.

What's Next?
No. 1 Humber will head to New Brunswick as the top-seed in the 2020 CCAA National Championship, hosted by St. Thomas University. The quarter-final round begins on March 12.