No. 12 Women’s Volleyball advances to 29th straight OCAA championship weekend
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Algonquin (1-1, 1-1) | 17 | 25 | 19 | 0 |
|
Humber (2-0, 2-0) | 25 | 27 | 25 | 3 |
ETOBICOKE – No. 12 Humber women's volleyball (16-2, 2nd West) punched its ticket to championship weekend for the 29th consecutive season with a commanding three-sets victory (25-17, 27-25, 25-19) over the Algonquin Wolves (12-6, 3rd East) on Saturday afternoon at the Hawks' Nest.
Humber will now head to King City, where the Seneca Sting will host the 2026 OCAA Women's Volleyball Championship. The Hawks are pursuing a five-peat and their 16th OCAA title in 18 years.
Match recap
With a berth at championship weekend on the line, the Hawks hosted the Algonquin Wolves. Algonquin, which finished third in the East Division during the regular season, dispatched the Niagara Knights in the crossover round.
The chips were all over the table in a matchup that promised to be contested.
The crowd at the Nest watched a tight opening set, with both teams trading points early. Humber had the lead early and never allowed the Wolves to jump ahead on the scoreboard, but the margin was slim at 7-5. A strong mid-set run pushed the advantage to 17-12, and the Hawks ultimately closed out the opener 25-17.
The Wolves returned for the second set looking a lot more composed. Their presence at the net blocked Hannah Manners' attempts a couple of times — a very unusual sight during the regular season — and helped them grab an early lead.
Humber, however, stayed within striking distance and kept the battle contested. Late in the set, Caitlyn Labelle and Keyome Ellis came up with crucial points to force deuce, and the Hawks went on to take the set 27-25.
Despite strong performances in the first two sets, the Hawks committed several miscues to start the third, allowing the Wolves to jump out to a 12-7 lead and forcing coach Chris Wilkins to call a timeout. The quick break revitalized Humber, and a clutch mid-set performance by Manners propelled the Hawks to a 25-19 victory.
Humber Highlights
- Humber improves to 8-0 all-time against Algonquin.
- The Hawks boast a 96-28 all-time postseason record in the OCAA.
- Humber is riding a 22-match win streak in OCAA postseason play, dating back to March 10, 2022.
- The Hawks have an all-time 27-0 record in the OCAA quarterfinals.
- Humber has not lost a home playoff match since 1999.
- The Hawks advance to the OCAA final four for the 29th straight season.
- Chris Wilkins boasts a 473-65 all-time record and a 73-8 all-time OCAA postseason record.
- Hannah Manners has recorded double-digit kills in nine games this season.
- Caitlyn Labelle's 10 kills are her best performance in the past six games.
What's next?
The Hawks are heading north to King City for the 2026 OCAA Women's Volleyball Championship, hosted by the No. 3 Seneca Sting (18-0, 1st East) from Feb. 27 to March 1.
Humber will play against the home team, Seneca, in the semifinal, with the match time still to be confirmed. All championship matches will be streamed live on OCAA Live.
