No. 3 Women's Volleyball end first half undefeated

By: Fernando Bossoes
Humber Athletics Communications

ETOBICOKE – On a cloudy Sunday afternoon, No. 3 Humber women's volleyball (11-0, 1st West) dominated the No. 8 St. Clair Saints (9-2, 2nd West) in straight sets (25-22, 25-23, 25-19) at the Hawks' Nest. All-Canadian Erika Dodd was lights-out offensively, grabbing a team-high nine kills, while Reese Cholette was the Saints' offence nightmare, recording an impressive career-high 24 digs.

Match Recap

The Hawks knew they were in for a big challenge before going on a well-deserved mid-season break. The St. Clair Saints sat second in the west division and arrived at the Hawks' Nest on a confident six-win streak.

Looking to wrap up the first half of the season without a loss, Humber started fuming early in the game. The Hawks' wings were as stiff as a wall, with blocks on point to stop St. Clair's offence. The Saints' fans in the crowd would not leave their team behind, though; their energy filled up the Saints' tank as the score read a hectic 12-12 game. Humber would push stronger mid-game to jump ahead by four points, forcing St. Clair to call a timeout. This seemed to have brought the Saints together, as they would return on a 10-6 run to even the match up 22-22. The Hawks never stepped back when playing in front of their home crowd, making a strong late push to capture the set 25-22.

Both teams were back on the court for the second set. Looking to stay alive in this game, the Saints would return hot with an early 10-6 lead. The crowd would see a very similar game in the second set, a back-and-forth clash as the score read 16-16, and no team could jump out to a comfortable lead. Erika Dodd would set the game's pace, calmly driving two spikes down the floor and an ace to give the lead for good for Humber, 22-17. The Hawks spread their wings, and Keyome Ellis would fly higher than the Saints' block, smashing a hard-driven spike to close the set 25-23.

The Saints did not want to end the first half of the season with their win streak ended, keeping a neck-to-neck game early in the third. Left-side Rookie Caitlyn Labelle would come in to lead the Hawks offensively, grabbing four kills and setting Humber up 15-11. After a Saints' timeout, the Hawks still had enough gas in the tank to step on the gas. Cassidy Andrews and Keyome Ellis were unstoppable, and the Saints struggled to find a solution to break Humber's offence.

St. Clair would put their last hopes on a timeout as the score read a commanding 23-17 lead for Humber. Nothing would change, as Caitlyn Labelle and Erika Dodd would stay hot to send the Hawks to the winter break with a 25-19 win.

The Hawks were unstoppable in the first half of the season, dropping only two sets and sitting first in the west division as the only undefeatable team.

Oakville native player Reese Cholette was named the Hawks Player of the Game, recording six assists and finishing with 24 digs.

Humber Highlights

• The Hawks improve to 39-11 all-time against the St. Clair Saints.
• Reese Cholette's 24 digs were a new career-high.
• Erika Dodd has recorded double-digit scoring in eight matches this season.
• Humber is now 2-0 against nationally ranked programs this season.

What's Next?

After a well-deserved mid-season break, the Hawks will return on January 10 to take on the Niagara Knights (7-4, 5th West) at the Welland Campus Gymnasium. The first serve is scheduled for 6 p.m.