BARRIE, Ont. - The Georgian Grizzlies men's and women's volleyball teams hosted their final regular season games on Saturday afternoon when they hosted the La Cite Coyotes at the Athletic Centre.
It was a massive showdown in the men's game with the two top teams atop the OCAA East Division standings playing to break the tie.
Georgian came out and played an incredible team game to get them over the top in a thriller defeating the Coyotes 3-1 by set scores of 25-21, 25-18, 24-26 and 25-21.
Liam Gray continued his incredible season as he posted another four aces in the game which gave him the OCAA record for most aces in a single season.
Gray now owns each of the OCAA's league records for aces. This season, the Barrie native, has broken the OCAA records for most aces in a single game (15), most aces in a single season (66) and most career aces (181).
Darien Haynes (Barrie) continued to add to his career totals as he recorded a team-high 13 kills along with two aces for a 15 point game while Jordi Romero (Brampton) had nine kills and two blocks.
The win moves Georgian one game ahead of La Cite for first place in the OCAA East Division standings with a 14-2 record.
It was a back-and-forth tight game in the women's match-up that came right down to the end.
Both teams rode the momentum to split the first four sets of the game.
In the fifth and deciding tiebreaker set it was the Grizzlies who were able to pull away to earn a huge 3-2 victory over the Coyotes by set scores of 25-27, 25-18, 11-25, 25-15 and 15-7.
Kelsey Watson (Barrie) had a massive game recording 23 points from 18 kills and five aces and in doing so she surpassed the 500 kill mark for her career.
Alyssa Muller (Whitby) was solid as she had season high recording 15 points.
The win snapped a five-game losing streak for the Grizzlies as they improve their record to 6-10 on the season. Georgian continues to be in a wild race for the playoffs as they sit in a four-way tie for fifth place in the OCAA East Division standings.
With it being the final regular season home game, the Grizzlies honoured their graduating student-athletes in a special ceremony prior to the game. Women's player Kelsey Watson along with men's players Erich Perau (Peterborough), Conor Tackaberry (King), Jordi Romero, Liam Gray and Darien Haynes were recognized for their dedication and achievements in a Grizzlies uniform.
Georgian will now play their final two regular season games on the road beginning with a game against the George Brown Huskies on Wednesday, Feb. 6 followed by a trip to play the Loyalist Lancers on Saturday, Feb. 9.
The Grizzlies men's volleyball team will play a home playoff game the weekend of Feb. 16 against a later to be determined opponent. Follow the results of Georgian's final two regular season games for updates on the exact game date and time.
Source: Georgian Grizzlies