No. 1 Men's Volleyball Sweeps Niagara, Extend Streak to 14
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Humber | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
|
Niagara | 15 | 15 | 22 | 0 |
By: A. Wickstrom
Humber Athletics Sports Information
WELLAND -- No. 1 Humber men's volleyball extended its win streak to 14 straight matches - six straight sweeps - Thursday evening, defeating the Niagara Knights (8-5, 4th West) in straight sets, 3-0. The final set scores were 25-15, 25-15, 25-22.
Humber showed its dominance early in opening sets in Welland, with second-year Eduardo Silvia Ferreira earning the first point with an unreturnable attack. Both Andrew Blakey and Jake Gomes were crucial in swinging Humber into the lead throughout the first and second set, going on four-point service runs, each. Kills by Maximum Crowder and Rrezart Sadiku paused the Hawks' defence, carrying them to set victories at 25-15 and 25-15.
Bringing equal momentum into the third set, freshman Joshua Fadare nailed down the first point with a back-row kill. Struggling to earn a solid run, the Hawks slipped behind the Knights and had to work from behind. Tying the game at 12, hitting by Jaydon Milne became a turning point for Humber. Unforced errors from both the Hawks and Knights kept both teams within a points' reach of each other as the set continued. The height gave Humber the upper hand, as middles Andrew Blakey and Maximum Crowder kept the team in the lead with multiple wall-like blocks. Joshua Fadare finished off the game with an unexpected kill from the middle at 25-22.
Joshua Fadare was the lead scorer for the Hawks, earning 13 kills and two blocks. Rrezart Sadiku followed behind with 10 kills and three digs.
Humber Highlights
- After picking up another ace, third-year Jake Gomes sits two behind Kamyn Wilkins for fourth-most in Humber history.
- Humber's 14-game win streak to start the season ties the program set in 1999, when the Hawks ran the table with a perfect 14-0 regular season.
- Freshman Joshua Fadare surpassed 100 kills, after nailing down 13 kills in the game and now sits with an average of 3.03 per set.
- Middles Maximum Crowder and Andrew Blakey sit eighth and ninth in the OCAA respectively for blocks per set, at 0.64 and 0.62.
What's Next?
Humber men's volleyball will travel to Sudbury to compete in a two-game weekend, starting with the Boréal Viperès on Feb 8 at 8 p.m. and ending with the Cambrian Golden Shield on Feb. 9 at 3 p.m.
