HAWKS SWEEP ST. CLAIR TO REMAIN UNBEATEN
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
St. Clair ( ) | 22 | 16 | 18 | 0 |
|
Humber ( ) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
By: Natalie Stoberman
ETOBICOKE, ON: The Hawks now sit atop the West Division with a 12-0 record with a three set sweep over the St. Clair Saints - 25-22, 25-16, 25-18. Brynne Coleman led the Hawks with 19 kills and Elizabeth Deakin-Poot recorded seven service aces on the win.
The Saints established themselves as the team to beat after the opening serve. Though the Hawks jumped out in front with a 6-4 lead, St. Clair stunned the Hawks with a seven point streak to pull ahead 11-9. Humber's attack was dull and settled for delivering free balls that the Saints clobbered through Hawk blocks. St. Clair had everything going for them and by the end of the set they had outscored the Hawks 16-10. But the tables turned after a Humber timeout while trailing 15-18. Middle Alexandra Newman sparked a comeback with a kill and a block that got the Hawks in a groove and swinging hard at the Saints. The Saints were still scratching and clawing for the win but the Hawks were in their element of manufacturing points and putting their opponent in sticky situations on the court. Humber and St. Clair traded points and tied the set at the 20 and 22 point marks but it was the Hawks who worked their way from the bottom to win the set 25-22.
The Hawks adjusted from their wake up call and put on a passing clinic. The Saints were still in fighting shape from the last set but the Hawks stepped up on defense. Middle Elizabeth Deakin-Poot kept the Hawks alive in numerous battles for points with her nimble passing from the back court. Her hustle rubbed off on teammates like left side Devan O'Connor and libero Deborah Mitchell who sacrificed their body to dive for balls seemingly out of reach. Their defensive flow translated to their offensive attack and the Hawks shut the door on the Saints after they called a timeout trailing 12-15. Left side Brynne Coleman smacked two crosscourt kills on the way to winning the second set 25-16.
St. Clair would not go down without a fight and kept the match close for the first 10 points. But O'Connor and Coleman collectively piled on 21 kills that left the Saints in the dust. The Hawks pulled through with a confident attack to win the set 25-18 and sweep the Saints for the 100th straight OCAA league and playoff win since 2011.
The Hawks will hit the road next weekend for two games at Boreal and Cambrian College.
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