HAWKS SWEEP DAY TO END NORTHERN EXHIBITION TRIP AT 3-0
Story by: Aideena Wicksrom
NORTH BAY, ON:The women's Hawks team hit the court again early afternoon in North Bay, to play against the Canadore Panthers in game 2 of their three game exhibition tournament. After that, they returned to the gym to play against last years OCAA finalists, the Niagara Knights.
GAME 1: Humber vs Canadore
Humber came out to the first set fired up and ready to go, blasting into a steady lead over the Panthers. Determined to keep their strong lead, the Hawks refused to let up the energy, and finished the set quickly at 25-13.
In the second set, Canadore was able to keep up with the Hawks, staying hot on their trail for the majority of the match. Humber began to pull away when the Panthers coach called a time out at 11-13. But the Hawks kept swinging, and pulled away from the point for point match smoothly, with a 25-18 win.
During the beginning of the third set, the Hawks struggled to find their footing, giving Panthers a four point lead. This deficit didn't last long before they found their pace, and began going point for point with Canadore. At 18-18, the Hawks flew into the lead with a serving run by Rossella Falcomer, and finished off the set 25-20.
The service line was rocked by Olivia Foley, with five aces, and Danae Campana held down the back row, energizing the team throughout the game.
GAME 2: Humber vs Niagara
The first set started off great for the Humber Hawks as they jumped quickly into a lead of four points and created quite the issue for the Niagara Knights. As the set progressed, the Hawks refused to let up and didn't let the Knights shorten the slump they were in. Humber quickly shut down the first set 25-16.
In set two, the Knights began to play hard, starting off with a small lead. But the Hawks refused to let that shake them, quickly terminating the lead. At this point, both the teams continued point for point, until half way through the set, when the Hawks pulled away with the lead and took the set 25-18.
Set three was an intense match which vividly displayed the best skills of both teams. Fighting back and forth for the lead, both teams were never more than a few points ahead of each other. This pristine game play continued all the way until the end of the match, where the Hawks were able to play sharply and take the win, 28-26.
Throughout all three games, Coach Chris Wilkins was able to play every team member, with all of them creating an impressive impact on the court this weekend.