(London, Ontario) – On Saturday at the Nest, the Fanshawe Men's Volleyball team (6-2) loss to Cambrian (6-3) in four sets.
Early on, a Tanner Patterson (Baden, ON) kill and a Zack Admans (St. Thomas, ON) block would secure the first two points for the Birds. Giving the Falcons a 4-3 lead, third-year Jayden Crowther (London, ON) blocked a huge hit by the visitors. Elliott Leslie (London, ON) and Patterson recorded additional blocks to keep the set close. To tie things up at 14, Leslie came up big with a monster block. With both teams at 21 points, Patterson executed a great tip over the Cambrian blockers to take the advantage. Admans smashed a kill to push Fanshawe's score to 23 over the visitor's 22. Fanshawe took set one 25-22.
Cambrian started off strong in the second set and took a 5-1 lead. Kills by Crowther kept the Falcons in the game. Inching closer to the visitor's lead, Patterson scored three consecutive points off powerful kills. The score stood at 13-11 after Alain Pineault (Windsor, ON) crushed a perfect set by Jack Voght (Ottawa, ON). A block by Crowther tied the game up at 15 and a block by Patterson gave the Falcons the advantage on the following play. Up 19-17, Patterson slammed a kill, making that his eleventh point of the match. A block by Admans pushed Fanshawe's score to 24, but it was not enough. After an extended match, the Golden Shield took set two 30-28.
Pineault opened the third set with a brilliant kill. Crowther put the Birds up 5-4, scoring his thirteenth point of the match from an outstanding kill. Fanshawe and Cambrian exchanged points for the majority of the set. To tie the score at 14, Daniel Ridings (St. Catharines, ON) came in hot and recorded a kill. Ridings slammed another cross-court kill for the Falcons a few plays later. After numerous lead switches, the Golden Shield won set three 26-24.
A kill by Ridings and great defensive team plays gave the Falcons a commanding 7-4 lead in set four. A Crowther kill and Ridings ace lengthened Fanshawe's edge. Despite the Birds' awesome play, Cambrian found a way to sneak back into the set. Down four, Admans gained a point for Fanshawe to keep them alive. The Falcons ended up dropping the fourth set 25-18.
The Falcons look to bounce back on Sunday against Boreal (1-9) at 3:00 p.m. at home.
