Men's Volleyball rallies from behind to beat No. 9 St. Clair

By: Fernando Bossoes
Humber Athletics Communications

ETOBICOKE – Humber men's volleyball (7-4, 5th West) defeated the No. 9 St. Clair Saints (8-3, 2nd West) on a chilly Sunday afternoon in five sets (25-22, 25-20, 25-22, 25-22, 18-16) at the Hawks' Nest. Ottawa native Teyven Blackmore led the Hawks on offence with a season-high 15 kills, while Marcus Morgan filled the stat sheet, finishing with 12 kills, nine digs, five aces, and three blocks.

Match Recap

Looking to keep the momentum after a slow start to the season, the Hawks were on their home court, aiming to go to the winter break on a five-match win streak. Humber had a formidable opponent on the other side, the St. Clair Saints had won six out of their previous seven matches.

The crowd saw an intense clash between the two teams early in the first set; hard-driven spikes from both sides set the pace of the game as the score read 14-14. Toronto native Nazyr Francis and tTeyven Blackmore did not enjoy seeing the Saints keeping up a close game at the Hawks' Nest, they would together grab 10 kills to put the Hawks up 20-16 and force St. Clair to call a timeout. Humber would return consistent, sitting on the verge of winning the set – the Hawks had service, Marcus Morgan stepped by the end line and smashed a powerful ace to capture the first set for Humber 25-22.

After a neck-to-neck game early in the second, the Saints would find their game mid-way through the set, jumping out to a commanding 19-15 lead. Humber struggled to stop the strong offence from the Saints, and, following a hard-driven ace, the Hawks called a timeout to bring the players together as the score read 21-16 for St. Clair. The Saints kept their great momentum and closed the set with a 25-20 win.

Both teams knew how important the victory in the third set was, going to the fourth up on the score would allow a much more comfortable mindset to build up their plays. The Saints came out firing early in the game, dominating the match and jumping out to a demanding 14-9 lead. Head coach Wayne Wilkins would call a timeout as Humber seemed to be stunned after a great start from St. Clair. Wilkins had a plan, and the Hawks returned to the court more solid, trimming the lead down to one as the score read 20-19. That would not be enough though, the Saints kept the great performance and captured a 25-22 set win.

Looking to stay alive and take this game to the fifth set, the Hawks returned to the fourth hot as Marcus Morgan led the Hawks offensively with five kills to keep the score tight, St. Clair was up 13-11. Humber would see the Saints jump ahead by three points, but this would not scare the defending provincial champions as the Hawks would flap their wings faster to even the match up, go up on the score and close the set 25-22.

The Hawks' Nest was loud as Humber and St. Clair's supporters passionately fed their teams' energy in the fifth. Both sides were trading points throughout the entire set; the Saints had two opportunities to close the game, but the Hawks stayed calm, tied the game twice and went up 17-16.

Marcus Morgan, the big-game player from Fort Erie, would wisely tool the block to drive the ball out of bounds and capture a huge win for the Hawks, 18-16. Humber wrapped up the first half of the season on a five-win streak.

Teyven Blackmore was named the Hawks Player of the Game, grabbing a season-high 15 kills and six digs.

Humber Highlights

• Humber improves to 27-8 all-time against St. Clair.
• At the halfway mark, Marcus Morgan is leading the team in kills, points, and aces.
• Humber's 0.295 swing percentage is the fifth-best in the conference.

What's Next?

The Hawks are set to be back on January 10, after the holidays, for a matchup against the Niagara Knights (7-4, 4th West) at the Welland Campus Gymnasium. The match is set to start at 8 p.m.