Women's Volleyball rebounds against UKC at nationals

By: Fernando Bossoes
Humber Athletics Communications

RED DEER, AB – The Hawks proved alive in the CCAA, as Humber women's volleyball defeated the UKC Blue Devils in a bronze quarter-final match in four sets (22-25, 25-18, 25-10, 25-19). The Hawks now advance to the bronze semifinal round, one match away from the bronze medal game. Seniors Te-Anna Stephenson and Cassidy Andrews had their hands on fire, each contributing with a game-high 17 points. At the same time, rookie setter Kennedy Williscroft was an unbreakable wall by the net, capturing a career-high three solo blocks.

Match Recap

After a first day of great volleyball matches at the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre, day two kicked off for the next CCAA Women's Volleyball Championship round. The Humber Hawks and UKC Blue Devils entered the court to fight for a spot in the bronze semifinals.

Even though both teams were swept in their quarter-final matches, the Hawks and the Blue Devils still had enough energy to fight for a national bronze medal. Both teams were looking to bring their dominant performances from the provincial season. UKC was crowned the ACAA champions after sweeping the Mount Alisson Mounties in the championship match, while the Hawks ruled the OCAA with a 22-0 record.

This match presented an intriguing scenario, as the crowd was excited to watch how both teams would respond after an upsetting first day. The Blue Devils brought a strong start early in this match as they opened a 4-1 lead. The Hawks would weather the storm of attacks from UKC with a flurry of blocks as Cassidy Andrews raised her arms to block back-to-back spikes, levelling the match up at 4-4. Humber struggled to keep the good momentum going and would see the Blue Devils jump ahead in the lead – UKC never looked back, capturing the first set 25-22.

The Hawks needed to find their game if they still dreamed of capturing a national medal. As the second set began, Humber would finally find its bird-of-prey performance. Despite a close game at the start of the second, as the Devils pushed forward with devilish attacks, the Hawks started setting the pace, building up a commanding 21-9 run with Te-Anna Stephenson driving balls down the floor from the right side. At the same time, Cassidy Andrews was unstoppable in the middle. UKC still had enough gas to make a late push, trimming the score down to 23-18, but the Hawks would end up capturing their first set in the CCAA, as Leah Serlin aced to give Humber the set win 25-18.

Coach Wilkins gave the green light for takeoff as the Hawks returned to the third set. Humber started red-hot with its players sharing points, setting a monstrous 17-6 lead and forcing the Blue Devils to call a timeout. The Hawks did not slow down, returning on an 8-4 run as senior player Te-Anna Stephenson scored twice to close out the set 25-10.

The ACAA champions would not give up that easily from this match. Despite Humber mounting a comeback, the Blue Devils kept a neck-to-neck game early in the fourth set, as the score read the Hawks up in a close 18-16 game. Humber knew the importance of going to the next round with a convincing win in the bronze quarter-final match. Sitting in the Hawks' driver's seat, Keyome Ellis got what Humber needed, wrapping the match up with a 25-19 set win.

Senior player Cassidy Andrews was named the 4imprint Player of the Match for the Hawks, grabbing 17 points, 13 kills and three solo blocks.

Humber Highlights

• Coach Wilkins improves to 23-31 at the big dance.
• Humber improves to 12-3 all-time against the ACAA at nationals.
• Cassidy Andrews matched her career-high 13 kills, dating back to January 2023 against Conestoga.
• Kennedy Williscroft's three solo blocks are a career-high for the rookie setter.

What's next?

The Hawks have an essential bronze semifinal match on March 8 against the Capilano Blues. Humber's battle to book a spot in the bronze medal game is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. It will be Humber's first time facing Capilano, and they are 4-12 all-time against the PACWEST.