(London, Ontario) – The Fanshawe Women's Volleyball team (4-3) fell to the Niagara Knights (4-2) at the Glenn Johnston Athletic Centre on Saturday afternoon in five sets.

The Knights got out to a hot start in the first set, going up 5-0. Fanshawe chipped away at the deficit with a well-placed tip from rookie middle Hannah Onyema (St. Thomas, ON). The Falcons were able to recover and took an 11-10 lead on a kill by Dez Chanthaboury (Kitchener, ON). The teams exchanged points, however Niagara capitalized on a couple of opportunities and took set one 25-21.

Hits from Kiana Lee (London, ON) and Chanthaboury got the Birds on the scoreboard in set two, however the Knights maintained an early 8-5 lead. Aisa Javaheri (Newmarket, ON) and Sam Gibson (London, ON) added a pair of kills of their own to get the Falcons back on track, as the home team took a 16-15 mid-set lead. The teams continued to go back-and-forth, then with Fanshawe down 24-22, Lauren Vahrmeyer (Vineland, ON) had two huge kills to tie the frame. The Knights and Falcons had numerous hard-fought rallies and Fanshawe was able to come out on top 32-30.

The Falcons flew out to a 5-0 lead in the third frame, but their advantage was short-lived as Niagara quickly regrouped and came back. A dig from Fanshawe libero Vanessa Vargas (Mississauga, ON) resulted in a point from Ashley Rafferty (Peace River, AB). The Knights continued their strong attack however and went up 20-16 over the red and white. Niagara would go on to win set three 25-18.

A massive kill from Onyema got the home crowd on their feet in the fourth set. Fanshawe then got a point from a block by Rafferty and a right-side kill by Lee. The Falcons sustained their strong play and had the lead until Niagara went on a 4-0 run to tie the set at 23. Once again, the two teams battled back and forth. Javaheri had a big left-side hit to make the score 29-28, then Vahrmeyer closed out the set with a back row kill. Fanshawe won 30-28 to force a fifth set.

The Falcons struggled to find their stride in the beginning of the final set, as Niagara got out to a 7-2 lead. The Birds came back to tie the game at 11 with a block from Rafferty, however the Knights then went on a four-point run. Fanshawe dropped the set 15-11 and the match 3-2. Vahrmeyer had 15 points in the match, while Lee added 10. The Falcons will travel to Ancaster to battle the Redeemer Royals (1-3) on Friday, March 4 at 6:00 p.m. The match can be live streamed at: www.fanshawefalcons.ca/watchlive.

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