No. 14 Men's Volleyball earns spot in OCAA semifinal

By: Stefan Gerardi
Humber Athletics Communications

LONDON – No. 14 Humber men's volleyball is moving on to the semifinals after defeating the Algonquin Wolves in straight sets, 3-0 (25-19, 27-25, 25-13). The Hawks were red-hot to conclude the regular season and brought their winning ways to the playoffs. Humber was dominant against their quarterfinal opponents and cruised to an easy victory in the first and last sets. The Hawks showed resilience in the second set as they completed a comeback to help them secure momentum for the remainder of the match. 

Veteran Jake Gomes had an impressive game as he led the Hawks with 39 assists and five aces to add to his legendary career stats. Teyven Blackmore posted a team-high 13 kills, while Alex Segui's ten digs topped Humber. 

Match Recap

The red-hot Hawks rolled over the Fleming Knights in their first outing of the post-season with a straight-set victory. After an impressive outing over Fleming, the confident Humber squad was set to take on the Algonquin Wolves in the provincial quarterfinals. The teams did not meet during the regular season but ended the 2022-23 campaigns with similar records. 

Humber came out of the gates hot as a 6-1 run put them in the driver's seat early. After the Hawks' run, Algonquin put their best foot forward and went on a run of their own that threatened the Hawks' lead. The Wolves began to run out of gas which played in Humber's favour. The Hawks racked up the points and closed out the set with a victory. 

After a sluggish start to the second set, Humber was forced to play from behind and fight back against the Wolves. Algonquin went on a 6-0 run that gave them a big lead. Head coach Wayne Wilkins called a strategic timeout to motivate his squad, and Hawks came back firing. Humber went on a 7-2 run that brought them to within one point of knotting the set. The teams traded points through thrilling back-and-forth rallies, but the Hawks finally tied the game on match point. Humber completed the comeback and took the second set of the match. 

The Hawks jumped out to a slight lead early in the frame; however, the determination of their defence made it difficult for the Wolves to go on any kind of a run and tie the game. With Algonquin down by only a point, Humber knew they needed to turn on the jets. A 5-0 run put the Hawks up by a commanding six-point lead. As the teams began to trade points, Humber watched as the scoreboard climbed closer to the 25-point plateau. A dominating performance in the final frame clinched Humber's spot in Friday's semifinal matchups. 

Humber posted 45 kills, 41 assists, 12 aces, and 44 digs in their exciting three-set quarterfinal clash. Maximum Crowder was named player of the game, posting 11 kills with a .917 swing percentage in the match. 

Humber Highlights

• Since the beginning of the calendar year, Humber has a record of 10-1.
• Humber's last match against Algonquin was a three-set victory on Feb. 17, 2018.
• The Hawks have now won four straight games against the Wolves dating back to Feb. 25, 2010.
• Humber improves their all-time record against Algonquin to 8-6.
• The Hawks now hold an 18-5 record in the OCAA quarterfinal round. 

What's Next?

No. 14 Humber will be back in action tomorrow for a semifinal matchup against Seneca (12-8, 4th West). First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m.

The OCAA Championship website can be found here.