Men's Volleyball falls in national bronze medal match
By: Fernando Bossoes
Humber Athletics Communications
VICTORIA, BC – Humber men's volleyball ended their participation at the CCAA Men's Volleyball Championship with the fourth spot after falling short against the VIU Mariners in four sets (22-25, 19-25, 25-17, 15-25). Humber finished the season with an 11-3 record since the calendar flipped to 2024. Brampton-native player Kyle Gray-Phillips was named the player of the game, securing nine points, while senior Jaskarn Kalsi scored a game-high six solo blocks.
Match Recap
It was the last day of the CCAA Men's Volleyball Championship, and after four days of top-tier matches at the Pacific Institute for Sport Education, the stage was set for the showdown. In the bronze medal match, the PACWEST champions, VIU Mariners, and the OCAA champions, Humber Hawks, took the court aiming for a place on the podium.
The Mariners found themselves back in the bronze medal match after a defeat to the Briercrest Clippers in 2023. However, in the bronze semi-final round, they entered this matchup with strong momentum following a convincing three-set sweep over the MCAC champions, Providence Pilots. Across the net, the Hawks were ready to write history as they played for their first CCAA bronze medal since 2014. Coming from another five-set victory over the Fanshawe Falcons, the Hawks were looking to conclude the national championship with a medal draped around their necks.
Humber knew this would be one of the hardest matches of the season. The Mariners had been ranked as one of the top volleyball programs in the country throughout the year, so Humber came out firing on all cylinders, keeping a close game as the score read VIU up 22-21 after Kyle Gray-Phillips smashed an unstoppable ace. Unfortunately for the Hawks, the Mariners would make a late push and close out the set 25-22.
The Vancouver team picked up where they left off, bringing strong momentum from the first to the second set with an early 13-9 lead, forcing head coach Wayne Wilkins to call a timeout. Humber would return to the court more solid, trimming the lead down to two, but the Hawks were struggling to respond to red-hot aces from the Mariners. VIU would capture another set with a 25-19 win.
The Hawks knew the third set was crucial if they still dreamed of a bronze medal. Senior player Jaskarn Kalsi would sit on the driver's seat, opening the set with a kill and an ace – Humber could finally find a great performance early in a set, sending the Mariners on a timeout at 6-2. The timeout would result in a shift of momentum as VIU tried to set the sail to victory, cutting the lead down to one, but the Hawks anchored their ambitions with Teyven Blackmore and Jaskarn Kalsi grabbing a total of 5 blocks to clinch the 25-17 set win.
The quick break between the sets seemed to have woken up the Mariners, as the fourth began with VIU jumping out to a dominant 9-2 lead. Brazilian-native player Gabriel Mendes would come in and score three points to put the Hawks back in the game, but Humber could not find a way to take the lead. The Hawks fought hard until the end, but the Mariners would wrap up the game 25-15.
Outside player Kyle Gray-Phillips was named the 4imprint Player of the Match for Humber, grabbing nine points, including two service aces.
Marcus Morgan was named a first-team all-star, while Josh Nicholson was named to the second team.
