Saints snap No.1 Women's Volleyball win streak at 57
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
St. Clair (8-1, 8-1) | 25 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
|
Humber (8-1, 8-1) | 22 | 25 | 21 | 23 | 1 |
By: Nina Kersnik
Humber Athletics Communications
ETOBICOKE – Humber women's volleyball (8-1, 2nd West) fell to the St. Clair Saints (8-1, 1st West) in four sets in the last game of the calendar year at the Humber Athletics Centre. Veteran Amy Connelly led the Hawks with 15 points. Reese Cholette led the team with 18 digs.
Match Recap
From the first serve, St. Clair made it known that they were looking for revenge after Humber snatched the gold medal from them in last year's OCAA championships at the Hawks Nest. Both sides kept the score tight, keeping the crowd on the edge of their seats for most of the set. As play moved on, the Hawks managed to keep the Saints' lead to three several times, but they kept making consistent errors, allowing their St. Clair to take that set, 25-22. With the set loss, this is the first time Humber has dropped a set since Nov. 12.
The next frame proved to be no different, as both ends still played tug-of-war for points once again. Despite the slight improvement in their offensive play, Humber continued to show miscues, giving St. Clair the opportunity to eventually tie it up at ten. Moments later, the Saints grabbed five more, compared to Humber's two points, forcing head coach Chris Wilkins to call a timeout to regroup his squad. Thankfully, that timeout seemed to have worked, as Humber collectively put together a few crucial plays with some net-front presence to go up 20-19. In the end, Humber's Faith Hughes put set two away, 25-23, after firing one and tipping another over the wall, to tie it up at one set apiece.
Into the next frame, Humber kept that momentum going, securing their largest lead of the game, 8-4. However, that lead wouldn't last for long, after the Saints recharged themselves off a timeout to grab another ten points compared to Humber's three. Even though the Hawks tried to claw their way back up, St. Clair took control to capture their second set 25-21.
In the fourth set of the match, the Saints dominated on the court once again, playing cleanly to take a quick 14-10 lead, before the home team called a timeout. Fortunately, Humber would go on to create a couple of runs, but the Saints proved to be the better team in the end, and won it 25-23, upsetting the reigning OCAA champions at home.
With the loss, the Hawks moved down in the West division rankings to second, allowing St. Clair to take the top spot.
Match Notes
- The loss snaps Humber's 57-match win streak - the second longest in program history. The Hawks hold the longest win streak in OCAA history at 155 (2011 - 2018).
- Humber holds a 41-11 all-time record against St. Clair.
- The Hawks hold a 19-6 record at home against the Saints.
- Humber leads the OCAA in service errors with 146.
- It has been 2514 days since Humber last lost in the Hawks Nest.
- Since 2003, Humber has had five 30-plus win streaks.
- Reese Cholette leads Humber and ranks sixth in the conference with 86 digs.
- Amy Connelly leads Humber in kills with 68, one ahead of Hannah Manners with 67.
What's Next?
After the break, the Hawks travel to Windsor for a rematch against St. Clair (7-1, 1st OCAA) on Jan. 10. The first serve is scheduled for 3 p.m. in South Campus Sports Complex.
