Three-peat for No. 3 Women's Volleyball
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Humber | 23 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
|
Seneca | 25 | 18 | 19 | 22 | 1 |
By: Fernando Bossoes
Humber Athletics Communications
KING CITY – No one has ever questioned that Humber women's volleyball would bring home the OCAA gold medal. From the season's first serve, the Hawks have been dominant, being ranked among the top three volleyball colleges in the country and only dropping three sets throughout the entire season. Sweeping 19 of its 22 opponents, the Hawks left King City crowned the provincial champions and booked their ticket to the CCAA Women's Volleyball National Championship.
No. 3 Humber (22-0, 1st West) finished their provincial season with a four-set win, 23-25, 25-18, 25-19 and 25-22, downing the No. 8 Seneca Sting (20-2, 1st East) on their home court. Left-side player Erika Dodd was once again crucial for the Hawks, securing a double-double with a team-high 16 points and ten digs, while second-year libero Reese Cholette was the nightmare of the Sting's attack, grabbing a match-high 23 digs.
Match Recap
The Humber Hawks and the Seneca Sting were ready for their most challenging match of the season as they fought for the provincial glory. The odds were quite balanced for this matchup. Although the teams never faced each other during the season, it was clear that a neck-to-neck clash was set to happen for the top spot in Ontario.
The Hawks still did not know what it meant to trail during 2023-24 season, holding an impressive 21-match winning streak, which included three quick sweeps in the postseason. Conversely, the Sting was looking for redemption after two consecutive postseason losses to Humber in prior seasons. Seneca had hopes of clinching a gold medal for the first time since 1996, when they achieved the remarkable feat of winning seven straight championship wins.
Seneca knew that the best way to end Humber's undefeated streak was to do what no other team could accomplish during the entire season and force the Hawks to drop the first set. Humber struggled to get their kills going while Seneca was finding open spaces to land their spikes down, building up a dominant 19-13 lead. The Hawks would trim the lead down to one as senior Te-Anna Stephenson was firing from the end line. However, Seneca stayed resilient and did not allow Humber to jump ahead on the score – the Sting made Humber drop the first set for the first time on the season, capturing the first set 25-23.
The Hawks were frustrated by dropping a set for the first time in three months and returned to the second hungry for revenge. Vancouver native Kennedy Williscroft would not waste any time to show the Sting that the Hawks were locked in, opening the set with an unstoppable ace. The Hawks jumped out to an early statement 7-1 lead. Seneca would not let their momentum break in this must-win game, swarming with a stronger offence to take the lead 9-8, but Te-Anna Stephenson was there again to bring the game back to Humber's hands. Sting tried to bring the buzz with spikes from the left, but the Hawks stayed focused, closing out the set 25-18, leaving Seneca buzzing for answers.
As the third set got underway, the Humber fans in the crowd would see a neck-to-neck game as both teams were trading points early in the set. In this hive-to-nest battle, Seneca deployed its stung defence after Humber opened a five-point lead, but the Hawks' wings proved sharp and strong, as senior player Cassidy Andrews would secure the set win 25-19.
As the fourth set began, Humber could smell the provincial gold medal in their way. However, Seneca still hoped to build up a comeback and earn their long-waited championship win in nearly 20 years, keeping a back-and-forth clash throughout the entire set. Humber would open a late two-point difference to sit one point away from the provincial three-peat finally.
Seneca had service as the score read Humber up 24-22. After Reese Cholette received, Kennedy Williscroft would perfectly set Erika Dodd for the game-winner. The West Division Player of the Year did not miss, executing a hard-driven spike down the Sting's court. A wave of emotions hit the Hawks players and the coaching staff as they rushed onto the court to burst into celebration.
Erika Dodd was named the Hawks' player of the match, grabbing a team-high 16 points and ten digs.
Rookie setter Kennedy Williscroft and senior player Te-Anna Stephenson were named to the all-star tournament team. Erika Dodd was also crowned the championship MVP.
Humber Highlights
- The Hawks captured their 14th title in 16 seasons and the 16th title during the Coach Wilkins era.
- Humber improves to 18-6 in the OCAA gold medal match.
- Humber extends its win streak to 27 consecutive matches against OCAA opponents.
- Coach Wilkins improves to 67-8 all-time in the OCAA playoffs.
- Women's volleyball now has 28 OCAA medals in stock through 38 seasons.
- Erika Dodd led the Hawks in points during the postseason with 54.
What's Next?
The Hawks will now gear up and fly to the CCAA Women's Volleyball Championship hosted by the Red Deer Queens in Red Deer, Alberta. Humber will look to capture the third CCAA medal and bring home the first national glory in the program's history. The championship will be held from March 6 to March 9, and Humber's quarter-final matchup will be released in the coming days.
