HAWKS TRAVEL TO WELLAND ON THURSDAY FOR BOUT WITH NIAGARA

ETOBICOKE, ON: The Humber Hawks women's volleyball team, currently ranked number one in Ontario and fourth in Canada, will travel to Welland this coming Thursday for a match the Niagara Knights.

THE MATCH UP:

Humber "Hawks" @        Niagara "Knights"            
10-0 – 1^st West                  7-3, 3^rd West
Thursday, January 18/18
6:00 pm
Niagara College Athletic Centre – Welland, Ontario

LAST TIME OUT

Humber defeated a very strong St. Clair Saints team in three straight sets (25-19, 25-17, 25-20) on home court on Sunday afternoon. Although the games were somewhat tight in two sets into the early teens, it was the hometown Hawks who got stronger as each set went on. Breanna Golding led the winners with a spectacular 19-point performance, based on 14 kills, 3 service aces and 2 blocks. No other Hawks or Saints were able to score in double digits, but Julia Watson and Devan O'Connor each contributed eight offensive points. Kaila Crough led St. Clair with nine.

LAST TIME OUT VS NIAGARA

The two teams met at Humber at the end of November, with the Hawks winning in three sets (25-12, 25-15, 25-23). The first set was one of Humber's finest of the season, as they were in-tune throughout, and that effort stayed in effect the rest of the night. Golding once again led Humber, this time with 12 points (9 kills, 2 aces, 1 block). Rachel Rivers of the Knights checked in with double figures, scoring 10 points on the night.

SCOUTING NIAGARA

• Humber leads the all-time series 24-0, winning 12 times at home and 12 times at Niagara
• The Knights are coming off a heart-breaking five-set loss this past weekend to the Sheridan Bruins, a match which saw the host Bruins come back from a 2-0 set deficit. Although they lost the game at Sheridan, they finished the weekend 1-1 and still occupy third place in the West Division
• Niagara ranks in the top third of all the significant statistical categories, including second in hitting percentage (.262)
• Rachel Rivers leads the team in offence at 4.0 points per set, but All-Canadian Jordan Koslowski is close behind with a mark of 3.9 pps. After those two, the offensive numbers drop off considerably, with only one player checking in above the 2.0 mark
• Melissa McFadden continues to carry the load at the setter position, registering 233 assists on the season, placing her eighth in the league rankings

HAWK NOTES

• The Hawks hit another milestone number with their win on Sunday, and currently ride a streak of 140 consecutive OCAA league and playoff victories
• Humber ranks at or among the league leaders in almost every team statistical category, including firsts in hitting percentage (2.290), aces per set (3.19) and blocks per set (2.53)
• Breanna Golding continues her rise up the individual statistic categories and now checks in with a league second-best mark of 4.5 points per set. Devan O'Connor and Jasmine Lougheed are also having terrific seasons, as they boast averages of 3.3 pps and 3,1 pps, respectively
• Celine Blanchette (162 assists) and Alex Bartman (123 assists) serve as a solid tandem from the setters position on the court, sharing the duties for most of the season

HISTORY WATCH

•  Head coach Chris Wilkins continues to set all-time Humber coaching marks with every victory, a mark that has now reached 327
• Devan O'Connor is the highest-ranking active Hawk in career points, with 352, and this places her 15^th on the all-time Hawk list. Breanna Golding, who checks in at 287 points in just a year and a half of play, is in a position to move up the ranks quickly.

WATCH LIVE

Niagara College will be live-streaming Thursday's game, free of charge. CLICK HERE for the link to the game.