No. 3 Men's Volleyball sweeps Mohawk to conclude the regular season

By: Fernando Bossoes
Humber Athletics Communications

ETOBICOKE – No. 3 Humber men's volleyball (16-2, 1^st West) is now heading to the OCAA postseason after defeating the Mohawk Mountaineers (8-9, 6^th West) in straight sets (25-16, 25-22, 25-20) on Thursday evening at the Hawks' Nest. The Hawks will play the OCAA qualifying game on Saturday, Feb. 8, at 3 p.m. at the Hawks' Nest. 

While the stat sheet tells one story, the true highlight of the night was the celebration of seven graduating seniors from Humber. Hawks Nation honoured the collegiate careers of Alec Loney, Alex Segui, Josh Nicholson, Kyle Gray-Phillips, Michael McAlpine, Nazyr Francis and Teyven Blackmore, who will conclude their Humber journeys at the end of the 2024-25 season. 

Nicholson, a 2024 OCAA champion, was named Humber Volleyball MVP in 2024. Loney, McAlpine and Blackmore have won two provincial championships and one national silver medal, while Francis, Gray-Phillips and Segui boast three OCAA championships and one CCAA silver medal. Thank you, seniors, for your dedication and contributions to the program. 

Match Recap 

After a dominant 14-match winning streak to start the 2024-25 campaign, Humber men's volleyball faced a challenging three-game road stretch, finishing with a 1-2 record. Following a 3-1 loss to the No. 15 Fanshawe Falcons, the Hawks aimed to regain momentum with the postseason approaching. Across the net, the Mohawk Mountaineers arrived at the Hawks' Nest in a similar situation. With a 2-3 record in 2025, they aimed to deliver a strong performance to improve their position in the standings. 

The fans in the crowd saw a Humber team determined to crush Mohawk's hopes early in the first set. Midway through the set, senior player Nazyr Francis jumped high and delivered a beautiful block, followed by a powerful spike down the floor. This prompted the Mountaineers to call a timeout with Humber up by four at 14-10. Mohawk's coaching staff could not maximize their team's performance, resulting in the Hawks clinching the first set 25-16. 

The break between the first and second sets appeared to benefit Mohawk. The Mountaineers returned to the court on fire, quickly taking an 8-4 lead. Just when it seemed like the Hawks were losing control, their senior players stepped up. Kyle Gray-Phillips, Teyven Blackmore and Francis combined to score five points, helping Humber take the lead with a score of 12-10. The intensity levels stayed high for the remainder of the set. After Michael McAlpine put the Hawks one point away from winning the set, Alec Loney scored an ace to secure the second set 25-22. 

In the third set, Humber again faced challenges in keeping pace with Mohawk's strong early performance. The Mountaineers jumped ahead at 14-10, leaving Humber to rely on their senior players once again. Gray-Phillips served four consecutive times, landing three aces, to help bring Humber back into the game. The Hawks wrapped up the sweep with a 25-20 third-set victory. 

All Humber senior players—Alec Loney, Alex Segui, Josh Nicholson, Kyle Gray-Phillips, Michael McAlpine, Nazyr Francis and Teyven Blackmore—were named the Players of the Game, recording 52 points, nine service aces, 31 assists and 30 digs collectively. 

Humber Highlights

• Humber improves to 49-22 all-time against Mohawk and 24-10 all-time at the Nest.
• The Hawks hold a six-win streak against the Mountaineers, dating back to Jan. 26, 2023.
• Head coach Wayne Wilkins boasts a 442-141 all-time record as the Hawks' boss.
• Teyven Blackmore leads the province with an average of 0.65 service aces per set.
• Humber sits second in the OCAA with 137 service aces. 

What's Next?

The postseason is underway. No. 3 Humber's first challenge will be hosting the eight-seeded team from the East Conference—either the Algonquin Wolves (7-9, 7^th East) or the Seneca Sting (6-11, 8^th East)—on Saturday, Feb. 8. The match is scheduled for 3 p.m. and will be streamed live on the Hawks Sports Network.