Men's Volleyball captures fourth straight OCAA title

By: Fernando Bossoes
Humber Athletics Communications

LONDON – In a rematch of the 2023 OCAA gold medal game, Humber men's volleyball captured the top spot in Ontario for the fourth consecutive year. Despite a slow start to the season, the Hawks gained momentum as the postseason approached and demonstrated dominance on the volleyball court. Humber achieved a historic milestone by defeating the Fanshawe Falcons in the final for the second straight year, bringing home the first-ever four-peat in the program's history.

Humber (16-6, 5^th West) overpowered the host No. 6 Fanshawe Falcons (16-6, 2^nd West) with set scores of 25-20, 25-22, 25-19, 20-25 and 15-12. Championship MVP Marcus Morgan was driving every ball down the floor, capturing an impressive game-high 21 points, while Josh Nicholson was all in on every play, securing a season-high 17 digs.

Match Recap

The 2023-24 gold medal game had a déjà vu feeling in the air, with the Humber Hawks and the Fanshawe Falcons in London set to clash for the second consecutive year for the top spot in the province. Betting on this matchup would pose a tough decision because, despite the Falcons' national ranking, the Hawks transformed their shaky start to deadly performances in the postseason and entered the final match with momentum.

The Hawks wanted to write a new chapter in Humber's history book, as a victory would mean the first four-peat glory in the program's history. Across the net, the Falcons aimed to bring back the success of the 2018-19 season, when they clinched gold medals in both provincials and nationals. Beyond claiming the title, the Falcons were driven by the memory of last year's defeat, viewing a victory over Humber in front of their home crowd as the ultimate redemption.

As expected, the hosts would bring a strong start, looking to set the pace of the set. Scaring the Humber fans who travelled to London, the Falcons jumped ahead to an early 7-3 lead. The four-point difference would not panic the defending provincial champions, as senior player Maximum Crowder trimmed the lead down to one with a powerful spike and back-to-back blocks. Although Humber managed to close the gap, they were playing behind the score for most of the set – Coach Wayne Wilkins would call a timeout as Fanshawe led 19-17. The Hawks returned with Teyven Blackmore in the driver's seat. The third-year player would grab three kills to put Humber back in the game. Being a point away from the set win, Josh Nicholson had service – the Hawks' setter would drive the ball to the back zone, capturing the set 25-20.

The second set began with the Falcons making an early push once again. Humber would finally knot the match at 9-9, but Fanshawe had enough energy to keep a neck-to-neck game and did not allow the defending provincial champions to take over the lead. The Hawks stayed focused and fought hard throughout the set, but that would not be enough as Fanshawe would level up the gold medal game 25-22.

The Hawks were not happy after dropping the second set while playing an uphill game for the most time in this matchup. Humber returned to the third determined to soar above the Falcons. Showcasing finesse in their team plays, the Hawks players shared points collectively to send Fanshawe on a timeout as the score read Humber up 14-10. The Hawks spread their wings and returned on an aerial performance, with Marcus Morgan soaring above the block to spike down the floor and clinch the set for Humber 25-19.

As the fourth set got started, Humber was a single step away from the provincial glory. The Hawks would not sit comfortably on their advantage and started the set red-hot with Jaskarn Kalsi and Teyven Blackmore scoring four points together to set Humber up 6-2. The Hawks struggled to keep their good momentum going and would see the Falcons even up the set and take the lead 10-9. Fanshawe had a three-point lead in their favour, 16-13, but the Hawks were circling, looking to talon a strike. The Falcons did not allow Humber to close the gap, bringing in the tiebreaker with a 25-20 set win.

Humber did not have a five-set match in mind for this gold medal game. The Hawks returned furiously to finish this game for good. Humber started to rain down points upon the Falcons, leaving them caught in a whirlwind of thunderous spikes as Humber was on the verge of provincial glory.

As Marcus Morgan triumphantly jumped for a hit, the Humber fans in the crowd saw a slow-motion moment. Morgan powerfully spiked, a double block tried to stop the Fort Erie-native player, but Morgan was just too hot to handle. As the ball slowly landed on the floor, the referee whistled to crown Humber the provincial champions for the 10^th time.

Marcus Morgan, tough as nails, was named the player of the game on the Hawks side, grabbing a game-high 21 points and 10 digs.

Senior Maximum Crowder and Marcus Morgan were named to the all-star tournament team. Morgan was also crowned the MVP of the tournament.

Humber Highlights

• The Hawks have four-peated for the first time in the program's history.
• Head coach Wayne Wilkins now has eight provincial championships at the helm of the Humber Hawks and holds 63 OCAA postseason victories.
• The Hawks increase to 16 consecutive wins in the OCAA postseason with a 69-25 all-time playoff record.
• This was Humber's sixth-consecutive OCAA gold medal match, winning in four out of the six matches.
• Marcus Morgan led the Hawks in scoring in the postseason with 62 points.
• Humber is the first OCAA program to four-peat since the Sheridan Bruins won six straight from 1989-1994.

What's Next?

Humber will pack their bags and head to the West Coast as the Camosun Charges are hosting the CCAA Men's Volleyball Championship in Victoria, British Columbia. The Hawks look to seize the national triumph for the second time in the program's history. The nationals will occur from March 7 to 10, and Humber's quarter-final matchup will be announced in the coming days.