OSHAWA, Ont. - The Trent University women's volleyball team defeated Redeemer University 3-1 Thursday night in the opening round of the OCAA championship being held at Durham College. Set scores were 25-19, 25-13, 23-25 and 25-19.

The Excalibur showcased a full team effort in the victory with four players recording seven or more kills. Trent was led by OCAA East region Rookie of the Year and game MVP Jaime Fryer (Pickering, Ont.) who led the Excalibur with 11 kills while also collecting eight digs and three service aces. Aces became a recurring theme for Trent as they recorded 13 total including five from Rebecca Van Staalduinen (Peterborough, Ont.) who also reached double digit in kills with 10. Leading the Excalibur offence was setter Erin Clancy (Woodbridge, Ont.) who conducted several strong offensive surges registering 39 assists in the four set match.

Redeemer was able to utilize their size for several runs throughout the match including a third set victory but were unable to maintain throughout. The Royals leaned heavily on outside hitter Curtiss Straatsma (Brampton, Ont.) who led the team with nine kills while also recording seven digs and one blocked shot. Left side Jocelyn Klompmaker (Beamsville, Ont.) also had a strong performance for the Royals earning six kills, eight digs, one blocked shot and a service ace.

Trent now advances to the semi-finals where they will face the winner of Thursday night's prime-time game featuring the defending OCAA champion Humber Hawks and OCAA championship host Durham Lords. This semi-final will take place Friday in the CRWC at 8 p.m.

For the Royals, they will face the loser of the final match in a bronze medal quarter-final at the CRWC scheduled for a 3 p.m. first serve.

Durham College is proud to host the OCAA Women's Volleyball Championship (Feb. 20-22) and the OCAA Volleyball/Basketball All-Star Games (Mar. 22) at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre.

Source: Durham College

Photo Credit: Al Fournier