HAWKS OPEN 2016 OCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS ON THURSDAY NIGHT
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Algonquin ( ) | 14 | 15 | 15 | 0 |
|
Humber ( ) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
NORTH BAY, ON: The Humber Hawks women's volleyball team, winners of the last eight consecutive OCAA titles, will open up defence of these crowns on Thursday night in the OCAA Quarterfinals against Ottawa's Algonquin Thunder, with the first serve slated for 8:00 pm.
The Hawks moved directly to the 2016 OCAA Championships by way of their first place finish in the West Division.
Algonquin, who finished fourth in the East Division with a record of 14-6, advanced to the Final Eight event by knocking off the Redeemer Royals on home court in the sudden-death crossover playoff game on Saturday afternoon in Ottawa. This match went the distance before the Thunder prevailed 15-10 in the fifth set.
These two teams have not matched up in tournament or league play this year. Therefore, a head to head comparison is unavailable. Historically, it has been the Hawks that have held the upper hand in contests between the two schools.
The Hawks are led yet again by 2015 All Canadian and OCAA Player of the Year Thalia Hanniman. She not only continues to lead the Hawks in almost all offensive categories, she is at or near the top on the OCAA side. Her mark of 4.6 points per set places her second in the OCAA, and at 1.14 aces per set, she leads the league. Her kills per set average of 3.24 places her third in the province.
Supporting Hanniman offensively for the Hawks is a five-some of players averaging above the 2.2 pps mark, led by Brynne Coleman who checks in at 3.2 pps.
Algonquin features quite the twosome themselves, as Julianna Tebrake and Breanne Scheerhoorn check in with terrific offensive numbers of 3.6 and 3.5 pps, respectively. Three other Thunder players have contributed over 2 points per set in support of the big two.
Algonquin made a huge statement in knocking off the tough Redeemer Royals this past weekend and will be looking to use this momentum in the tournament opener. Humber will have had over a week off the competition court, but the Hawks coaching staff has done all they can to ensure the team shows no rust on Thursday night.
The games will be streamed "LIVE":
Official Tournament website:
