OTTAWA - The Durham College men's volleyball team had their 13-game winning streak snapped in Ottawa this weekend as they suffered a 3-2 loss to the No. 4 nationally ranked Algonquin Thunder.

The Thunder (17-1) would go on to pick up another 3-2 win on Saturday, earning them the OCAA East region title and an automatic bye into the championship. Durham (15-2) will have to win in the qualifying round to book a trip to the provincial championship as they will host a playoff game on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 1 p.m. Their opponent is still to be determined.

Friday's match against Algonquin was a battle until the final point as the teams needed all five sets to determine a winner. Algonquin looked dominant over the first two sets winning by scores of 25-18 and 25-14, but the Lords would not go down without a fight as they stormed back with 25-14 and 26-24 set wins of their own. In the fifth and deciding set, Algonquin managed to go on an 8-2 run to finish the Lords off with a 15-9 victory.

Brad VanHartingsveldt (Newcastle, Ont.) and Petrus Kuypers (Haydon, Ont.) each had big nights with 12 and 11 kills respectively. Kuypers also had a great game at the net recording four blocks. OCAA all-star Riley McAllister (Oshawa, Ont.) had another standout game at the setter position as he had 26 assists.

On Saturday afternoon, Durham would manage to rebound from their loss with a 3-0 win over the La Cite Coyotes. Combined with their regular season home finale on Thursday night, the Lords played 13 sets in just three days.

The Lords will wrap up their regular season on Wednesday as they take on Trent University in Peterborough followed by the playoffs on Saturday.

Source: Durham College