(London, Ontario) – On Sunday afternoon, the No. 4 Nationally ranked Falcons (10-4) were defeated by the No. 14 nationally ranked Condors (10-3) at the Nest.
Zack Admans (St. Thomas, ON) put the Falcons on the board with a smash that had the crowd roaring. Matt Stechnicki (Guelph, ON) then made a great set to the middle where Jayden Crowther (London, ON) slammed the ball to the ground on the opposing side. Two consecutive Tanner Paterson (Baden, ON) kills tied the game at eight a piece. Later in the set, the visitors found their stride, and the Falcons trailed 19-17. Crowther blocked a Condors outside hitter to tie the game at 20-20. A great block by Admans gave the Falcons a 24-22 advantage which eventually sealed the 25-22 set one victory for Fanshawe.
Admans opened the second set with force, recording a kill and an ace. Fanshawe furthered their lead by a score of 5-2 with an exquisite smash by outside hitter Daniel Ridings (St. Catharines, ON). Unfortunately, the Condors stole back the momentum and went on a 4-0 run to lead 16-12 over the Falcons. Fanshawe fought hard to get back into the game, but the visitors took the second set by a score of 25-20.
For the third set in a row, Admans started the Falcons off with a point from a Stechnicki set. A brilliant outside hit by Patterson tied the game at 5. The visitors then took a commanding 12-8 lead, but Ridings put the Condors run to a stop with a masterful kill. Paterson then gave the Falcons a one-point advantage over the visitors recording his ninth kill of the match. Later in the set, the Falcons were down 23-19. To close in on the visitor's lead, Admans recorded a kill and then scored off a block in back-to-back plays. Ridings also smashed a set from Stechnicki making the score 24-22 for the Condors. Ultimately Conestoga won set three 25-23.
Set four started with a piercing spike made by Paterson. The two teams alternated scoring which included huge kills from Crowther, Admans, and Patterson. Third-year Paterson's fifteenth point of the match increased Fanshawe's score to 12 and the visitors stood at 15. Paterson was on a roll and gave the Falcons a 21-20 advantage in the must-win set for Fanshawe. Stechnicki added to Fanshawe's lead after converting on a great setter dump. Fanshawe scored the final five points of the game, resulting in an extraordinary comeback victory.
An Admans kill, Paterson ace, and Admans block gave the Falcons three consecutive points to put Fanshawe up 3-1 early. The Condors then took the lead. Crowther recorded a kill to decrease the deficit, but the visitors pulled away and the score stood at 12-9 in their favour. Conestoga took the fifth set 15-11.
Check out the Falcons on January 27 during Falcons Fest! Cheer on Fanshawe's volleyball and basketball teams and enjoy free pizza starting at 1:00 p.m. in the Nest.
