No. 12 Women’s Volleyball downs No. 3 Seneca Sting and will play for OCAA gold tomorrow
KING CITY - No. 12 Humber women's volleyball (17-2, 2nd West) stunned the hosts No. 3 Seneca Sting (18-1, 1st East) to secure a birth in the 2026 OCAA Women's Volleyball Championship game tomorrow.
The Hawks captured a four-set victory (25-20, 25-20, 24-26, 28-26) to advance to their 25th gold medal match in the past 28 seasons.
Match recap
Powerhouse. That's the best word to describe the No. 3 Seneca Sting, winners of 18 straight matches, including the postseason. The Hawks were up against the top team in the province, ranked third nationally and a program chasing its first gold medal since 1996.
But you need more than just numbers to put pressure on coach Chris Wilkins' team. Humber set the tone early in the first set, taking control and securing a 25-20 win.
In the second set, the Hawks never allowed Seneca to settle or build momentum in front of their home crowd. With Keyome Ellis dominating the net and back-to-back service aces from Kaley Rawlick late in the set, Humber captured a 25-20 victory.
The Sting responded in the third. After both teams traded points throughout, Seneca found its rhythm down the stretch to come back and stay alive in the match, winning 26-24.
It was a do-or-die fourth set for Seneca if they wanted to keep their gold medal dreams alive. The Hawks, on the other hand, just needed to manage the tempo and close out the match. It was a tightly contested set that pushed the deuce. A double block from Hannah Manners and Faith Hughes sealed the deal at 28-26, punching Humber's ticket to the gold medal game.
Faith Hughes was named the Player of the Game, recording a career-high 14 points, 10 kills and three service aces.
Humber Highlights
- The Hawks improve to 9-7 all-time against the Sting.
- Humber holds a 97-28 all-time record in the OCAA postseason.
- The Hawks improve to 26-9 all-time in the OCAA semifinals.
- Humber owns 23 straight wins in OCAA postseason play, a streak dating back to March 10, 2022.
- Head coach Chris Wilkins boasts a 474-65 all-time record and a 74-8 all-time OCAA postseason record.
- The Hawks are headed to their sixth consecutive appearance in the OCAA championship game.
- Humber has played in the gold medal game 25 times in the past 28 seasons.
- Faith Hughes's 14 points are a new career-high.
- Hannah Manners leads Humber in points (45) and kills (42) this postseason.
What's next?
Humber will compete for the gold medal tomorrow, Feb. 28 at 6 p.m., facing the No. 7 St. Clair Saints (16-2, 1st West). Fans can catch all the action live on OCAA Live. Follow Humber Hawks and Humber women's volleyball and visit humberhawks.ca for full coverage and updates.
