In the first half of the 2005-06 women’s volleyball season there were many memorable performances, most noticeably Megan Stacey of the Nipissing Lakers breaking two OCAA individual scoring records. The second half of the season is shaping up to be just as exciting, as teams from all across the province will battle down the stretch for playoff positioning all for the chance to win OCAA gold in February.

Central West Region – The two top ranked teams in the OCAA are battling it out in the central west region. The Humber Hawks (7-0) won the first installment of the battle for the top spot in the region against the Nipissing Lakers (7-1) earlier in the season. The two teams will face off once again on February 5 at Humber in a matchup that could possibly be a preview of the gold medal game later that month. The Mohawk Mountaineers (3-3) sit in third place in the region followed by the Sheridan Bruins (2-6).

Megan Stacey looks poised to win her third consecutive OCAA scoring title as she currently leads the OCAA averaging 5.21 PPG. The next three leading scorers in the region are all members of the #1 Humber Hawks (Perfection Powell - 3.68 PPG, Risha Toney – 3.57 PPG and Amanda Arlette – 3.46). Jaclyn Archer of the Mohawk Mountaineers rounds out the top five in the region averaging 3.27 PPG.

West Region – The Fanshawe Falcons (7-0) and Niagara Knights (7-1) sit atop of the west region standings with 14-points apiece. Things are looking similar to last year where the two teams finished the regular season with identical 12-3 records, splitting the season series 1-1. This season, the Falcons won on their home court, defeating the traveling Knights 3-0. Niagara will have a chance to even up the series on January 12 as the Falcons travel to Welland in a marquee matchup. Trailing the Falcons and Knights in the standings are the St. Clair Saints (5-5). The Saints team is much improved from last season where they were only able to manage to pick up one win. The Saints will try and hold off the surging Redeemer Royals (4-3) who have won 4 of their last 5 matches.

Heidi Bench of the Niagara Knights leads the scoring race in the west averaging 3.97 PPG. Trailing Bench is a trio from Fanshawe including Katie Seys, Stephanie Femia and Amy Smith. Rounding out the top five is Alison Lammers of Redeemer (3.28 PPG).

Central East Region – With four teams within 4-points of first place, the central east is the most competitive region in the OCAA. The Seneca Sting (6-1) and Durham Lords (6-1) are currently in first place with 12 points followed closely by the Cambrian Golden Shield (2004-05 OCAA Champions) with 10-points and a 5-1 record. The Georgian Grizzles are one game behind the Golden Shield, as they occupy the fourth spot in the division with a 4-2 record. This race will certainly be interesting to watch to see what team is left out of the playoffs.

Kim Ward-Paige of Georgian is having an exceptional season as she is second place in the overall OCAA scoring race. Ward-Paige is averaging 5.18 PPG, .03 points behind Megan Stacey for the overall lead. Laura Fowler of the Golden Shield is pushing for the scoring championship as well, averaging 4.40 PPG.

East Region – The Algonquin Thunder (4-2) and Trent Excalibur (4-4) are currently tied for first place with 8-points, but Algonquin has two games in hand. The Loyalist Lancers will look to gain some ground on the Thunder and Excalibur in the new year as they sit in third place in the standings with a 3-4 record.

Sarah Hazelwood of Algonquin is on top of the east region scoring race averaging 3.58 PPG. Dominique Dawes of Loyalist only trails Hazelwood by only .06 PPG.

WATCH OUT FOR
The Redeemer Royals currently sit in fourth place of the competitive west region with a 4-3 record. Led by veteran middle Alison Lammers, the Royals will look to jump up into third place past the St. Clair Saints to have a chance to qualify for the OCAA Championships in the play-in games. The Royals look to continue their strong play in 2006 as they have won 4 of their last 5 matches after starting the season 0-2.

CHECKING THE RECORD BOOK… on the road to winning
- Megan Stacey broke Claire Bramma’s (RMC) career point record of 705 total offensive points as well as her career kill record of 587 earlier this season. Stacey now stands at 734 offensive points and 590 kills and will look to add to her records with 6 regular season matches remaining.

- Tracey Knowles, a rookie of the Niagara Knights looks to set the OCAA record for most aces in a season (46 aces by Jennifer Fabbro of Cambrian in 2000-01). With six matches remaining on the schedule, Knowles only needs 12 more aces to break the record, as she has already managed to serve up 34 aces in 9 matches this season.

UPCOMING EVENTS
- The 2006 OCAA Volleyball All-Star game will be taking place on Saturday, January 14, 2006 at the Seneca College Sports Centre in North York, ON. The Women’s Game will start at 3:30 PM. Click here to find out more information about the all star game.

- The OCAA Championships will be taking place from February 23-25 at Humber College in Etobicoke, ON. Click here to check out the official website of the 2005-06 OCAA Men’s and Women’s Volleyball Championships.