HAMILTON, Ont. - The Mohawk volleyball teams are going to the holiday break on a down note. Mountain rival Redeemer won both matches at the David Braley Athletic and Recreation Centre Thursday (Dec. 5).
The Mountaineer women dropped a 22-25, 25-22, 22-25, 18-25 decision to the Royals in the opener.
Chi Chi Chuks-Mady led Mohawk with 12 kills, one service ace and one stuff block. Kaylee Duncan produced nine kills and three aces. Corrine McGrath contributed 25 assists. For the Royals, Curtiss Straatsma had 13 kills, one ace and two blocks. Kimberly Stewart had 31 assists.
Mohawk head coach Andrew Nicholson said his team had a good game plan.
"When we ran the game plan we scored at will," said Nicholson. "The only thing that let us down was, if we couldn't pass, we couldn't run our offence and we couldn't score. If you don't get a good pass on defence, you can't run anything."
Nicholson said he told his players they are a much better team than their record shows.
"We should be at the top of the league with the 'Fanshawes'. We're just not putting the entire game together. And if you don't, you can't win and that's what's happening to us every time."
With the victory Redeemer is now 6-3 and goes to the break with two straight wins and a 6-3 record. Mohawk falls to 3-6 and has lost three in a row.
The Mohawk men took Redeemer to five sets before bowing 25-15, 20-25, 24-26, 25-20, 11-15. Bryce Marcussen had 14 kills, one ace and 10 blocks. Marcin Jedrzejewski contributed 14 kills, Eric Danecke collected eight kills, two aces and two blocks and Mark Kaveckas had 40 assists. Cory Hansen had 15 defensive digs for the Mountaineers.
For Redeemer, Eric Heidbuurt had 12 kills and nine blocks, while David Klomps had 12 kills, one ace and three blocks and Jake Klassen had 38 assists. Eli Tolkamp led in digs with 15.
The third set was the turning point in the match. Mountaineers head coach Matt Schnarr noted after splitting the first two games his team led the third 22-17, but couldn't 'side out' and lost that set. They bounced back in the fourth set, but Redeemer came out in the fifth game and pushed Mohawk around. He said the Mountaineers, down 9-4, pushed back, twice getting to within one point, but no closer.
Schnarr said he needs to evaluate where the team is. He was particularly upset with his outside hitters, who were set up, especially in the deciding set, but wouldn't score.
Mohawk saw its five game win string snapped and finished the first semester with a 5-4 record, while Redeemer improved to 6-3 and have won two straight.
Source: Mohawk College
HAMILTON, Ont. - It appeared the Redeemer Royals men's volleyball team did not want to end the first half of the 2013-14 season without a five-set thriller. The Royals came out on the winning end of one on Thursday night in a 3-2 win over their mountain rival.
Thursday night's match was the first for Redeemer this season that went the distance as the Royals won round one against the strong side from Mohawk.
With the win, Redeemer improves their record to 6-3 entering the Christmas break. Their 12 points has them sitting in a tie for third place in the OCAA West Division with Fanshawe. Mohawk's record falls to 5-4 as the Royals snap the Mountaineer's four-game win streak.
The Royals came out a little flat in the match, getting accustomed to Mohawk's new facility. The slow start cost the Royals the first game as they were dominated 25-15. However, a little comfort went a long way as the Royals found their groove in the second set and began taking over the match. The Royals won the second (25-20) and third games (26-24) before Mohawk won another tight fourth game (25-20).
The turning point of the match appeared to be in the third set. With the Royals down 22-17, Redeemer went on an amazing 9-2 run to take the set 26-24 and move ahead in the match 2-1.
David Klomps and Eric Heidbuurt each had 12 kills for the Royals. Heidbuurt also added an incredible nine blocks in a hard fought defensive effort by Redeemer.
Redeemer will now turn their attention to a Christmas break trip as they head out to B.C. from Dec. 31-Jan. 5 for a series of exhibition matches and training.
Source: Redeemer University College