Men's Volleyball captures CCAA silver medal on home court

By: Stefan Gerardi
Humber Athletics Communications

ETOBICOKE – Although Humber men's volleyball didn't get the result they wanted in the CCAA gold medal match, the Hawks faithful couldn't be prouder of their team for winning silver and proving themselves against the best collegiate volleyball teams in the country. The Hawks dropped the gold medal match against the Camosun Chargers in straight sets (19-25, 22-25, 20-25), but the boys in navy and gold have much to be satisfied with. 

After a rocky start to the beginning of the 2022-23 campaign, there was little hope that Humber would be a serious competitor at the CCAA National Championship. Although Humber College was announced as hosts of the tournament, the Hawks were seen as underdogs after losing their first two matches of the season; however, Humber turned it around in 2023 and conquered since the start of the calendar year. Their dominance continued into the post-season as they claimed OCAA gold, and though they fell short of a national title, the Hawks turned heads across the country. 

Humber legend Jake Gomes capped off his collegiate career by being named a first-team all-star alongside Hawks' player of the game, Jaskarn Kalsi. Jaydon Milne and Michael McAlpine were designated as second-team all-stars. 

Match Recap

Home sweet Humber. Coming into nationals, the hype around Humber men's volleyball was at an all-time high. North Campus was hosting the CCAA tournament for the first time since 2008, and the Hawks were entering as OCAA Champions. Humber rolled over their quarter-final and semifinal opponents to make it to the championship game. The only thing standing in their way of a CCAA title was their toughest opponent of the post-season – the defending national champion, Camosun Chargers. 

With the Hawks' Nest producing an electric atmosphere, a Teyven Blackmore kill opened the scoring for Humber in the opening frame; however, the Chargers jumped ahead to lead after a 6-2 run. Humber slowly inched back, but Camosun held onto the lead at the midway mark of the set. Although their opponents had the lead, Humber was keeping it close. After the Hawks crept back to within a point of knotting the set, the team from B.C. took control and never looked back. The Hawks found themselves down a set and knew they needed to take it up a notch in the second frame. 

As the second set got underway, Humber took the first lead, which lifted the crowd to their feet. Camosun quickly regained momentum after a 6-1 run put them ahead. Much like the first set, the Hawks slowly crawled back to put the set within reach. The teams began to trade points, but the OCAA Champions were still trailing. As the scoreboard climbed closer to the 25-point plateau, the Hawks' margin for error was shrinking. The PACWEST champions reached 20 points first, but Humber was only two points away from a tie game. The home side never backed down but was unable to catch Camosun. Humber was down 2-0 and on the brink of elimination, but they weren't going down without a fight. 

With a national title on the line, the Hawks needed to give it their all, but Camosun got off to a red-hot start in the third set. The defending CCAA Champions went on a 5-0 run to tilt the court in their favour. Humber was playing from behind, but a Jake Gomes service ace brought his team to within one by the midway point of the set. Camosun slightly grew their advantage, and the teams began to trade points. Although the Hawks kept it close, they could never find the spark they needed and dropped the third set. The Chargers claimed back-to-back CCAA National Championships, but the Hawks' Nest still cheered loudly to honour their team, the 2023 CCAA silver medalists.  

Humber Highlights

• Humber men's volleyball won its second CCAA silver medal and the fourth national medal in program history.
• The Hawks' all-time CCAA postseason record is 20-17.
• Humber's record in the CCAA gold medal game is now 1-2.
• Men's volleyball is now 1-1 against the Camosun Chargers. They are 3-9 all-time against PACWEST opponents.
• The Hawks end their season with a 14-2 record since the calendar flipped to 2023.