Season Preview: 2019 Women's Volleyball

ETOBICOKE – Humber women's volleyball returns to the Hawks Nest for its 37th season when the Niagara Knights visit on Oct. 30. Game time is set for 6 p.m. and will be streamed live on the Hawks Sports Network.

2018 Highlights

• No team has ever dominated the OCAA like Humber women's volleyball and it took 2,565 days for another team to finally beat them. Humber's 155-match OCAA win streak spanned seven seasons and will go down as the most dominant stretch of volleyball in league history.
• Humber ended their regular season play with a 14-4 record, ranking fourth in the OCAA
• The Hawks featured a top defensive team, with 933 digs throughout the regular season.

At the Helm
Head coach Chris Wilkins will return for his 19th season, with an all-time record of 357-49 (.879). Under coach Wilkins' guidance, the Hawks have captured a league-best 13 OCAA championships.

With the departures of long-standing coaching assistants Dean Wylie and Rachel Dubbeldam, Humber Varsity Hall of Famer Kelly Nyhof will step in to fill the position. She is accompanied by Mandi Doris, who is entering her fifth year of coaching with the Humber Hawks.

Pushing Forward
This year, the Hawks look towards core returning starters as a stepping stone towards another championship title run. Key starters Julia Watson and Emma Heeney enter their fourth year of contributing to Humber's offence, collecting a combined 266 points between them in the 2018 season.

West Division all-star Alex Bartmann will step into the role of captain as she enters her third year with the Hawks.

Fresh Faces
With the departure of key starters from the previous season, Coach Wilkins and the Hawks welcome six new recruits for their upcoming season. Megan Hunt, Alex Lachapelle, Hannah Petcoff, Alexandria Dube, Shiann Williams, and Cassidy Andrews.

Offensive Leadership
For the first time since the 2006-07 season, the Hawks failed to produce at least one player that averaged 4.0 points-per-set or more.

Dishing Dimes
Third-year setter Alex Bartmann enters the season second all-time in career assists. The Uxbridge native needs 161 assists to surpass Brittany Vanderlaan for the most in program history.

Schedule

• The Hawks will welcome the Niagara Knights for their home opener on Oct. 30.
• This season the women's team will play 18 games, seven of which will be played on home court.
• Humber will face 2019 CCAA bronze medalists and OCAA gold medalists, the Fanshawe Falcons, in its fourth conference game and second home game of the year, on Nov. 15.

All Humber home games will be streamed live on the Hawks Sports Network. Follow @HumberHawks on social media to stay up-to-date on Humber Volleyball.