Men's Volleyball sweeps No. 5 Conestoga to earn final four berth

By: Fernando Bossoes
Humber Athletics Communications

KITCHENER – Despite being on the road for the second time in the OCAA postseason, Humber men's volleyball (14-6, 5^th West) dominated the No. 5 Conestoga Condors (15-5, 1^st West) in three sets (25-23, 25-19, 29-27). Senior Maximum Crowder was driving everything down the floor, finishing with a match-high 15 points and leading Humber to victory in the third set.

Match Recap

After grabbing two sweeps to finish the regular season, winning ten more matches than the previous year, the Conestoga Condors had a hard time in the crossover match. Rallying from a 2-0 deficit against the Fleming Phoenix, the Condors mounted a comeback, clinching the quarter-final spot against Humber. Still, the Condors entered this matchup with significant momentum, riding a three-match winning streak.

The Hawks were well aware they were about to face their hardest challenge of the season against the fifth-ranked team in the country. However, Humber was the only team to sweep Conestoga throughout the regular season and was ready to replicate those dominant performances in this quarter-final match.

The fans in the crowd would see both teams sharing points early in this intense, must-win battle. While the Condors were looking to set the pace of the match at their own court, the Hawks were pushing back, aiming to take control of the nest. Humber could finally open a three-point advantage as Brampton-native player Kyle Gray-Phillips smashed a powerful spike to send the Condors on a timeout, 15-12. The two-minute break seemed to have waken up Conestoga, as they would return on a 6-2 run to take the lead. Coach Wayne Wilkins would bring Humber together, as the Hawks seemed to have lost their temper – Humber came back to even the match, followed by all-star Marcus Morgan driving three points to put the Hawks back in the game. Senior middle Maximum Crowder is known to be unstoppable by the net, spiking down to secure a 25-23 set win for Humber.

Both teams knew the major role that the second set could play in this quarterfinal. For the Hawks, a set victory would mean a 2-0 lead and a step closer to the OCAA final four, while for Conestoga, this could mean the beginning of a comeback. Humber was ready to swoop in with an early 9-7 lead, but the Condors would not give off control that easily, levelling the match up mid-game 15-15. Conestoga was trying to stir up a storm, but the Hawks were weathering every play, staying ahead on the score for the rest of the match. Humber would capture the set more robustly than the first set, 25-19.

Conestoga returned to the third determined to make this not their last set of the season, acing twice in a row to set an early 4-0 lead. The Hawks would trim down the lead to one as the score read 9-8, but the Condors stayed consistent, scoring three consecutive points, forcing coach Wilkins to call a timeout. Humber had to bring a top-tier performance late-game to strike Conestoga – rallying behind from a 19-15 score, the Hawks evened the match 20-20 with senior player Jaskarn Kalsi raising his arms gloriously to block a huge spike. Despite Humber's determination, the Condors would sit on the verge of winning the set as the score read 24-23, but Maximum Crowder was there to bring the game to 24-24.

An actual back-and-forth battle was set to happen on the volleyball court. The Hawks and the Condors were fighting a clash in the skies that would determine who would advance to the provincials final four. Left-side player Marcus Morgan and senior Maximum Crowder kept the Hawks alive in the late game, grabbing three kills together. On an attack error by the Condors, The Hawks proved to hold the highest spot at the apex, leaving the Condors squawking in frustration as Humber would wrap the match up 29-28 to secure the spot in the OCAA semi-final round.

Humber Highlights

• The Hawks improve to 27-1 all-time against the Condors.
• Humber was the only team to sweep Conestoga this season.
• Humber is now 4-0 against nationally ranked programs this season.
• The Hawks increase to 14 consecutive wins in the OCAA postseason.
• The Hawks improve to a 67-45 all-time playoff record.
• Humber is now 19-5 in the OCAA quarter-final round.

What's next?

The Hawks will now be on the road as the Fanshawe Falcons are hosting the final four. Humber will now face the Centennial Colts (16-4, 2^nd East) in the semifinal round on Feb. 23 as they continue their journey to the fourth-straight provincial glory. Match time will soon be announced, but you can support the Hawks on the OCAA Live website.