Men's Volleyball downs reigning champions to advance to CCAA semifinal

By: Fernando Bossoes
Humber Athletics Communications

VICTORIA, BC – In a rematch of the 2023 CCAA championship final, Humber men's volleyball got its redemption against the back-to-back national champions Camosun Chargers with a four-set win (25-23, 25-17, 25-27, 25-19). With this victory, the Hawks now advance to the CCAA semifinal round. Marcus Morgan paced the way with a match-high 18 points, while Kyle Gray-Phillips added 17 of his own, including four aces.

Match Recap

The best college volleyball programs in the country started their journey to capture the CCAA Men's Volleyball Championship gold medal. Following three quarter-final matches, excitement peaked as the highly anticipated matchup between the Humber Hawks and the hometown Camosun Chargers finally began with the referee's whistle. Volleyball fans may recall what happened the previous year, when the Chargers visited the Hawks' Nest and swept Humber with no mercy to claim the CCAA gold medal.

Despite being back-to-back national champions, the Chargers had an unexpected season, finishing with a 12-8 record and falling to the COTR Avalanche in the PACWEST bronze-medal match. A victory against Humber could revive last year's performances and ignite momentum for the upcoming matches. Conversely, the Hawks arrived in Victoria fueled by a desire for revenge. Humber had unfinished business with the Chargers, and an opening victory over their previous year's ghost could be the key to opening doors for the program's second national triumph.

Even with the home crowd on its feet, Camosun could not use its home advantage to set the game's pace. The Hawks brought an early sky-high performance, with Marcus Morgan pacing the offence with three kills as the score read Humber up 16-13. The Hawks would stay hot as they jumped out to a five-point lead, but Camosun managed to find a great sequence and evened the match up at 21-21. The Chargers tried to gallop a comeback, but the Hawks would spread their wings, with outside player Kyle Gray-Phillips hitting an unstoppable spike from the left to capture the set for Humber 25-23.

Humber knew dropping a set could boost the Chargers' confidence as the second set got underway as they played at home territory. For this reason, the Hawks would once again start red-hot. Senior player Jaskarn Kalsi sat in the driver's seat, leading the Hawks with three kills as the score read Humber up 14-9, forcing Camosun to call a timeout. The Chargers were trying to change the game scenario, but the Hawks were soaring above in this battle of land and sky. Rookie Caleb Huot would set Marcus Morgan up for a swing; the second-year player did not disappoint, closing out the set for Humber with a dominant 25-16 win.

The Hawks could see the semifinal game one step away from them, and a set win here would put Humber closer to national glory. The Chargers remained determined to mount a comeback and were eager to avoid a three-set sweep in front of their home crowd. Camosun started strong, leading 15-9 right out of the gate. The Hawks would see themselves seven points behind the score, 21-14, but Humber managed to level up the game on an incredible 10-3 run to tie the match up at 24-24. The Hawks fought hard until the last second, but Camosun would capture its first set with a 27-25 victory.

Humber did not want to give off any chances to a Chargers' response in this game. Looking for redemption, the Hawks returned to the fourth set to close out this game for good. The defending national champions would keep a back-and-forth clash throughout the fourth, as the score read Humber up 17-16. The Chargers attempted to stampede their way to a comeback, but the Hawks had enough energy to make a late push and sit on the verge of winning the set. A service error would give Humber its revenge and the spot in the CCAA semifinal, 25-19.

Josh Nicholson was named the 4imprint Player of the Match on the Hawks side.

Humber Highlights

• The Hawks improve to 2-1 all-time against Camosun.
• The Hawks improve to 6-6 all-time in the CCAA quarter-final round.
• Humber's all-time CCAA postseason record is 21-17.
• The Hawks improve to 4-9 all-time against PACWEST opponents.

What's Next?

The Hawks have secured a spot in the CCAA semifinal match and will take on the ACAC champions, NAIT Ooks, on March 8. The match is scheduled for 11 p.m. ET. This will be Humber's first meeting against NAIT at the big dance and they are 3-1 all-time against the ACAC.