Another sweep for No. 4 Men's Volleyball
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Fanshawe (6-3, 6-3) | 18 | 17 | 23 | 0 |
|
Humber (9-0, 9-0) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
By: Fernando Bossoes
Humber Athletics Communications
ETOBICOKE – It was just another day at the office for the Hawks—and another long trip home for Fanshawe. Home, away, in the OCAA finals or on the national stage, one thing stays the same: No. 4 Humber men's volleyball (9-0, 1st West) knows how to put the Fanshawe Falcons (6-3, 2nd West) in their place. The Hawks stated their dominance at the Nest on Saturday afternoon, grounding the Falcons in three sets (25-10, 25-17, 25-23). Second-year setter Caleb Huot dominated the stat sheet with ten points, nine digs, two solo blocks and 21 assists.
Match Recap
After two games on the road, Humber returned to the Hawks Nest for a showdown packed with rivalry-fueled drama. The stage was set as the Hawks faced off against their favourite guests to humble: the Fanshawe Falcons. Humber entered the match on a high note, riding a three-match winning streak against Fanshawe and holding back-to-back OCAA championship victories over them. Conversely, the Falcons saw this matchup as a chance to break Humber's good momentum.
However, the Nest is not kind to revenge plots—it is where falcons' dreams are brought down to earth. With a dominant start, the Hawks took the early lead. Mississauga-born player Alec Loney threw fire from the service line, sending Fanshawe on a timeout as the score read Humber up 15-10. The Falcons' coaching staff could not capitalize on their timeout, as the Hawks returned on a 10-8 run. A commanding triple block by Caleb Huot, Kyle Gray-Phillips and Nazyr Francis sealed the opening set, 25-10.
Shaking off their worst set performance of the season, the Falcons found their rhythm in the second set, keeping a neck-to-neck game as the score read Humber leading by just one point at 15-14. The Hawks surged with six consecutive points to take the lead for good and never looked back. On the brink of winning the set at 24-17, Francis drove a hard-driven spike down the floor to capture the set victory.
Fanshawe came out swinging in the third set, going all-in for an early 5-3 lead. However, Humber was not ready to relent. Looking to sweep the Falcons for the first time since March 6, 2022, the Hawks climbed to a commanding 14-7 lead, forcing Fanshawe to call a timeout. The Falcons regained momentum, narrowing the gap to one at 23-22, but fourth-year player Teyven Blackmore crushed a massive kill and a Fanshawe service error wrapped up the match. Humber clinched the sweep with a nail-biting 25-23 win.
Caleb Huot was named the Player of the Game, recording a career-high 10 points, a season-high nine digs, two solo blocks and 21 assists.
Humber Highlights
- Humber improves to 26-24 all-time against Fanshawe.
- The Hawks hold a 16-win streak against the OCAA.
- Coach Wayne Wilkins boasts a 432-139 all-time record as the Hawks' boss.
- This was Humber's first sweep against Fanshawe since March 6, 2022.
- Teyven Blackmore sits second in the OCAA with an average of 4.04 kills per set.
- The Hawks have the second-best swing percentage in the league, .372 per cent.
What's Next?
The Hawks will now gear up for their final home game of 2024, facing the Conestoga Condors (5-3, 4th West) at the Hawks Nest on Wednesday, Nov. 6. The first serve is slated for 8 p.m. Come support Humber one last time this year—be there in person or watch the stream live on the Hawks Sports Network.
