Men's Volleyball opens the national tournament with a sweep
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
COTR (0-1, 0-0) | 23 | 26 | 20 | 0 |
|
Humber (1-0, 0-0) | 25 | 28 | 25 | 3 |
By: Fernando Bossoes
Humber Athletics Communications
NIVERVILLE, Man. – In their first-ever meeting, No. 3 Humber men's volleyball took down the No. 6 College of the Rockies Avalanche in three sets (25-23, 28-26, 25-20) to start their 2025 CCAA Men's Volleyball National Championship journey. Humber now has the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference champions, the No. 1 Red Deer Kings, as their semifinal opponent, which will take place tomorrow, March 6.
Michael McAlpine commanded the offence with a team-high 14 points, while Josh Nicholson orchestrated Humber with a game-high 31 assists.
Match Recap
Five consecutive OCAA medals. Five straight trips to the CCAA championship. Now in his 29th season, head coach Wayne Wilkins has captured all four national medals in program history, including a gold in 2012. As the Hawks arrived at the 2025 CCAA Men's Volleyball National Championship, the road to another title promised to be anything but easy.
The No. 6 College of the Rockies (COTR) Avalanche stood across the net. Despite their lower seeding and runner-up finish in the Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST), COTR was far from an underdog. The Avalanche has spent ten weeks as the nation's top-ranked team and were eager to claim a historic medal in their first-ever appearance on the national stage. In the small town of Niverville, Man., everything was set for one of the finest volleyball matchups of the year.
The crowd in Niverville watched a contested start to the quarterfinal as both teams quickly realized that minimizing mistakes would be key. Humber gained a slight edge, pulling ahead 15-10 before COTR's head coach, Cisco Farrero, called his second timeout. Despite Humber's strong net play with four blocks, the Avalanche fought back to narrow the gap to 19-17. Humber held their ground and Josh Nicholson delivered the decisive point to clinch a thrilling 25-23 first-set victory.
The second set was a neck-and-neck game, with no team able to gain a significant lead. Locked at 11-11, Kyle Gray-Phillips and Michael McAlpine led the Hawks with eight kills collectively in the set. Although the Avalanche managed to build a four-point lead, a game-changing dig from Blackmore turned into a point, levelling the score at 19-19. Gray-Phillips sealed a hard-fought 28-26 victory in a tense back-and-forth deuce.
Riding the momentum of two straight set wins, the Hawks played confidently in the third. Humber took the lead early and never allowed COTR to build any hopes of a comeback. McAlpine delivered the final blow, capturing Humber's fifth consecutive CCAA quarterfinal sweep with a 25-20 win.
Michael McAlpine was named the Player of the Match, presented by 4imprint, scoring a team-high 14 points, which included nine kills, one block solo, and six block assists.
Humber Highlights
- This was Humber's first-ever meeting against the College of the Rockies.
- The Hawks improve to 7-6 all-time in the CCAA quarter-finals.
- Humber holds a 5-10 record against the PACWEST.
- Men's volleyball has secured their fifth straight CCAA quarter-final sweep.
- The Hawks boast a 22-19 all-time record at the big dance
What's Next?
Humber is headed to the CCAA semifinal for the second straight year. The Hawks will take on the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference champions, the No. 1 Red Deer Kings, tomorrow, March 6. The first serve is set for 9 p.m. EST and will be streamed live on CCAA Live.
