HAWKS EARN BEST FINISH BY AN OCAA PROGRAM AT WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL NATIONALS SINCE 1987

OSHAWA, Ont. - The Lakeland Rustlers are the 2025 CCAA Women's Volleyball National Champions after defeating the Humber Hawks in a hard-fought four-set battle (25-20, 27-25, 25-16, 25-22) at Durham College on Saturday night.

Lakeland showcased an efficient offensive performance, registering a .269 hitting percentage while limiting Humber to just .163. Their balanced attack, coupled with strong defensive play, proved to be the key in securing the program's national title.

Setter Emma Letkeman, named player of the match for Lakeland, orchestrated the offence masterfully with 40 assists, eight digs, and a solid .400 hitting percentage. Her ability to spread the ball effectively kept the Humber defence on their heels throughout the match.

Humber put up a resilient effort, highlighted by Rachael O'Dell, who earned player of the match honours for the Hawks. She was a force at the net, contributing eight kills and a game-high eight solo blocks, proving crucial in keeping Humber competitive, particularly in the second-set win.

Lakeland's offence was led by Jenay Varga with 14 kills and 19 digs, while Carly Hawryluk was dominant at the net, hitting an impressive .480 with 12 kills and a block. 

Defensively, the Rustlers matched Humber with 77 digs, led by Seanna Trumier with 17.

For Humber, Hannah Manners (nine kills, 12 digs) and Lexie Zicari (five kills, seven digs) stepped up, but the Hawks struggled to maintain offensive efficiency against Lakeland's strong net presence.

Humber became the second team in OCAA history to earn a silver medal at the CCAA women's volleyball championship (Centennial 1987). The Hawks now have three national medals all-time in women's volleyball, with two previous bronze medal finishes in 2016 and 2023.

Lakeland completed the three-peat, winning their fourth national gold in program history, with the previous three coming in 2017, 2023 and 2024. Lakeland now has six national medals all-time, including a silver in 2013 and bronze in 2018.

CCAA Bronze Semi-Final: VIU Mariners 3, Durham Lords 0

VIU won in a straight-set sweep over Durham (25-15, 25-17, 25-17), hitting an impressive .411 as a team.

Aimee Skinner led the way with 12 kills, four blocks, and eight digs, racking up 17 total points. Emma Schill added 11 kills, two aces, and seven digs, finishing with 13.0 points. Keira Crellin chipped in 32 assists, while adding four digs and two aces. Crellin was named player of the match for VIU.

Chelsea Oke had an efficient outing for the Lords, finishing with eight kills on a .350 hitting percentage and six digs. Elizabeth McFarland also recorded eight kills, along with two digs. Setter Brooke Young kept Durham's attack organized, tallying 21 assists and six digs. Jayde Smyth was recognized as player of the match for Durham.

CCAA Semi-Final: Humber Hawks 3, VIU Mariners 2

The Humber Hawks and VIU Mariners broke the streak of six consecutive three-set matches to begin the championship with a five-set thriller.

After Humber took the opening two sets by 25-21 and 25-17 scores, VIU stormed back with 25-12 and 25-18 wins to force a fifth set. The final frame needed extra serves, where the Hawks would finish the job for a 16-14 win.

Hannah Manners led the team in kills with 15, also serving two aces to finish the night with a 17 point total. Caitlyn Labelle was not far behind with 14 kills on only 26 attempts, finishing the match with a .538 hitting percentage. CCAA Player of the Year Kennedy Williscroft assisted 48 times on the night. Manners was named the player of the match for Humber.

Humber is the first OCAA team to reach the CCAA gold medal match since 1987, and only the second to do so. The Hawks will look to become the first-ever OCAA team to win a national championship on Saturday.

Regan Ingram earned VIU's player of the match honours with a team-high 18 kills and .581 hitting percentage while blocking three shots. Aimee Skinner stood out for the Mariners, recording 15 kills and 10 digs while Keira Crellin had the most assists of any player in a single match at this championship up to this point with 51.

CCAA Bronze Quarter-Final: Durham Lords 3, Mount Allison Mounties 0

In the second of two bronze quarter-final matches, the Durham Lords completed the sweep of the Mount Allison Mounties by scores of 25-21, 25-19 and 25-20.

Elizabeth McFarland earned player of the match honours for the Lords after a nine-kill performance that saw her add nine digs, three service aces and a block to her stat line. Chelsea Oke tied her for the team lead in kills with nine, while the offence flowed through Brooke Young as she finished with 27 assists.

Ana McCain was the Mounties' leader in points with 10.0, also leading her side in digs with 11. Logan Tait helped set up plenty of opportunities to score, finishing with 26 assists. Mya Artibello was the player of the match for the Mounties with seven kills and a .294 hitting percentage.

CCAA Quarter-Final: Humber Hawks 3, Augustana Vikings 0

The Humber Hawks swept the Augustana Vikings, winning by scores of 25-20, 25-18 and 25-22.

Two players hit for 10 kills in the match, namely Hannah Manners and Amy Connelly. Of the 41 digs registered for Humber, 18 of them came from Reese Chloette and 11 from Kennedy Williscroft. Williscroft also had 25 assists, five service aces, two kills and a block, earning player of the match honours for Humber.

Taryn Watson had a standout performance for the Vikings with 16 kills for a .270 hitting percentage and 17.0 points. Hadley Ziemmer finished the afternoon with 10 points, scoring with seven kills, two service aces and a block. Phaedra Bruens led the team in assists with 26 and digs with 14.

CCAA Quarter-Final: Lakeland Rustlers 3, Durham Lords 0

It was a packed crowd for the 6 p.m. match as the host Durham Lords took on the defending national champion Lakeland Rustlers. Like the matches before it, Lakeland completed the sweep with 25-13, 25-11 and 25-14 wins over the Lords.

Lana Matthews was the player of the match for the winners with nine kills, six digs, three blocks and a service ace for 13.0 points. Avery Bates also had a performance to remember with 11 kills on 22 attempts and two solo blocks. Emma Letkeman was the assist leader with 19.

Erin Black was Durham's player of the match, registering seven assists and a dig in the match. Elizabeth McFarland stepped up with six kills on 16 attempts, while Chelsea Oke stood out with three kills and eight digs.

CCAA Championship Site: www.ccaa.ca/sports/wvball/championship/index

Source: Durham Lords/CCAA Communications