Men's Volleyball upsets No. 4 Conestoga on seniors night
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Conestoga (12-4, 12-4) | 20 | 19 | 21 | 0 |
|
Humber (11-6, 11-6) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
By: Fernando Bossoes
Humber Athletics Communications
ETOBICOKE – Looking to establish a winning streak before the provincial playoffs, Humber men's volleyball (11-6, 5th West) cruised past the No. 4 Conestoga Condors (12-4, 1st West) in three sets (25-20, 25-19, 25-21). Left-side player Marcus Morgan had his hands on fire, grabbing 13 points, while Josh Nicholson set everyone on the court with 27 assists.
Match Recap
After sweeping the Sheridan Bruins in the previous game, the Hawks anticipated a significantly different matchup this time. The Conestoga Condors, currently sitting fourth in the national ranking, arrived at the Hawks' Nest with an undefeated streak of seven matches, including a comeback victory against the seventh-ranked program in the country, the St. Clair Saints.
Despite being the underdog, the Hawks were determined to bring a top-tier performance, aiming to make feathers fly on the court in this bird-of-prey battle. The Hawks fans in the crowd would see a back-and-forth clash early in the game as no team could get ahead by many points – Ottawa-native player Teyven Blackmore paced the game's offence with three kills as the score read Humber leading 9-7. The Condors seemed stunned after a strong start from Humber; Marcus Morgan was back on the court after four games, making quick work from the end line to set the Hawks up 15-12, forcing Conestoga to call a timeout. However, this would not affect the game, as Humber returned consistently to close the set 25-20.
The Hawks returned to the second looking to keep the great momentum from the first set; Humber was aware of the Condors' comeback against St. Clair in the previous match and did not want Conestoga to push back. Marcus Morgan and senior Jaskarn Kalsi had a brilliant night, grabbing five points together to put Humber up 8-4. The Condors would not allow the Hawks to jump to a dominant lead, keeping a four-point difference throughout the set. Humber would take a late flight, leaving the Condors in the dust, as the Hawks spread their wings and soared to a 25-19 high-flying set victory.
As both teams were back to the third set, Conestoga finally found its game, showing the fans in the crowd why the Condors are the fourth-ranked team in the country, with a dominant 7-4 lead. Head coach Wayne Wilkins would call a timeout to organize his team. In his 28th year at the helm of the Humber men's volleyball team, Wilkins knows his team better than anyone else; the Hawks returned in better shape on a 9-6 run, evening the match up 13-13. Humber would never look back; in this nest-to-nest battle, the Hawks emerged as the superior species, leaving the Condors in their winged wake with a 25-21 win.
As this marked the last home game of senior players Christopher Bowen, Jaskarn Kalsi and Maximum Crowder, the Hawks are gratified to have had these players called Humber "home" over the years.
All of Humber's senior players were named the Hawks Player of the Game, securing 15 points and five digs together.
Humber Highlights
- The Hawks improve to 26-1 all-time against the Condors.
- The Hawks increase to 14-0 against Conestoga at the Hawks' Nest.
- Humber is the only team to sweep Conestoga this season.
- Humber is now 3-0 against nationally ranked-programs this season.
- Humber's 744 kills are the third-best in the conference.
- Teyven Blackmore has recorded double-digit points in seven matches this season.
- Marcus Morgan has recorded double-digit scoring in ten matches this season.
What's next?
The Hawks will now gear up to Hamilton for its last game of the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 3, against the Mohawk Mountaineers (7-10, 7th West), before embarking on their mission for a third straight provincial title. The match will start at 3 p.m.
