LONDON, Ont. - The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) is down to its final four in men's volleyball, with all remaining teams headed to the campus of Fanshawe College in London, Ont., for the OCAA Men's Volleyball Championship.
The Fanshawe Falcons are playing host to the men's volleyball provincials for the second time in as many years. The three OCAA medalists from last year find themselves in a familiar position, with the three-time defending champion Humber Hawks, runner-up Fanshawe and bronze medal winning Cambrian Golden Shield all headed to London. Also joining this trio are the Centennial Colts, the lone East Division team advancing to the championship.
The OCAA semi-finals take place on Friday, leading into Saturday's medal matches. The OCAA champion and runner-up moves on to the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association Men's Volleyball National Championship in Victoria, B.C., from Mar. 7-10.
All games are being streamed on OCAA LIVE.
Humber (12-6, 5th West) vs. Centennial (14-4, 2nd East)
Friday, Feb. 23 - 5 p.m.
Humber has won three straight championships, looking for the first four-peat since Sheridan's run of six straight OCAA gold medals in the early 1990s. As a fifth-seed, Humber has won consecutive road playoff games in straight sets, including knocking off West Division champion Conestoga in the quarter-finals.
The Hawks have won five straight, including twice in the post-season. Humber features fifth-year First-Team All-Star middle Maximum Crowder (Sudbury) who averaged 2.4 points, 1.91 kills and 0.41 blocks per set during the regular season.
The Centennial Colts last won the OCAA title in 1988. The Colts survived a scare in the quarter-finals, coming back from down one to win in five sets over a tough St. Clair squad.
Centennial's Gianluca Righetto (Mexico) is the reigning East Division Scoring Champion. The second-year left side averaged 4.6 points per set in 17 matches with 222 kills, 31 blocks and 21 service aces totalling 274 points.
Cambrian (12-6, 4th West) vs. Fanshawe (13-5, 2nd West)
Friday, Feb. 23 - 7:30 p.m.
The Fanshawe Falcons are an unexpected host of this year's provincials, with both division champions getting knocked out of the elimination stage of the playoffs.
The Falcons last won a provincial championship in 2019, also winning the national title as well. Third-year First-Team All-Star middle Jayden Crowther (London) contributed 2.7 points, 1.75 blocks and 0.73 blocks per set during regular season play for Fanshawe.
Cambrian has never won an OCAA championship, being a runner-up on four occasions in the previous century. The Golden Shield feature All-Canadian Sven Trodel (Sudbury). The fourth-year outside hitter was among the league leaders during the regular season averaging 4.1 points per set on 186 kills, 23 blocks and five service aces for 214 points in 14 matches
These division rivals meet once again in the OCAA quarter-finals. Last year, Fanshawe came back from down two sets to defeat Cambrian in five on its home court. The two teams split the regular season series 1-1, setting up an all-important rubber match.
Championship Website: www.ocaa.com/mvb
Live Webcast: www.ocaalive.com
Friday, February 23
Semi-Finals
S-F #1: Humber vs. Centennial - 5 p.m.
S-F #2: Cambrian vs. Fanshawe - 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, February 24
Bronze Medal Match
Loser Semi-Final #1 vs. Loser Semi-Final #2 - 2:30 p.m.
Winning team presented OCAA Bronze Medal at conclusion of match
Gold Medal Match
Winner Semi-Final #1 vs. Winner Semi-Final #2 - 5 p.m.
OCAA Gold and Silver Medals presented at conclusion of match
- OCAA -
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Ontario Colleges Athletic Association
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E-mail: bell-webster@ocaa.com