PETERBOROUGH, Ont. - The No. 6 nationally ranked Durham College men's volleyball team advanced to the OCAA championship semifinal after knocking off the Redeemer Royals in straight sets on the opening day of the provincial tournament in Peterborough. Set scores for the match were 25-13, 25-17, 25-22.
The Lords entered the championship as the top seed in the east following a strong 16-2 regular season campaign and an OCAA crossover victory versus the Mohawk Mountaineers last weekend. Matching up with the fourth seed Redeemer Royals, who went 11-7 in regular season action and knocked off the Algonquin Thunder in an exciting five-set crossover this past Saturday, the opening contest was slated to be an interesting showdown. However, the Royals struggled from the service line, committing 21 total service errors through the quick three sets. Double that with an impressive defensive outing from the nationally ranked Durham team, who registered 40 digs to just 17 for Redeemer, and out-blocked their opponents 9-3, and the Lords were able to cruise through the quarter-final match-up.
DC now advance to the second day of competition where they will face the winner of the Fanshawe Falcons versus the Conestoga Condors which is slated for a 3 p.m. first serve today. The Lords last appearance in the Final Four came in 2016-17, claiming silver after defeating the Redeemer Royals and Fanshawe Falcons en route to the gold medal game. The semifinal match tomorrow is scheduled to start at 5 p.m., with all the action from Fleming College available on
OCAA LIVE.
• An all-around team performance on the offensive end, OCAA east first team all-star
Andrew Dube (Uxbridge, Ont.) led the way with nine points in the fast three set match, scoring eight kills and one block.
• Each adding seven points apiece, second-year middle
James Hirt (Scarborough, Ont.) notched four kills and four blocks, while OCAA east player of the year, CCAA All-Canadian, and player of the match
Liam Gray (Barrie, Ont.) added two kills, two aces, and three blocks.
• A bright spot for the Royals offence, Brayden Stoffer registered a game-high 14 points with 14 kills in the loss.
• Gray was also impressive from his setter position, mixing in several one-handed efforts and cross court sets, finishing with 22 total assists.
• The fifth-year setter also led the team defensively with nine digs, while Dube added seven, and
Will Hart (Erinsville, Ont.) and
Lucas Pichl (Cobourg, Ont.) each recorded six.
• Redeemer setter Daniel Wolfert registered 21 assists, with Wesley Schilstra finsihed with a team-high six digs defensively.
Overall Record: 28-9 (W-L)
Conference Record: 16-2
Next match: Friday, Feb. 28 vs. Fanshawe Falcons • (OCAA Semifinal – 5 p.m. – Peterborough, Ont.)
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