No. 12 Women’s Volleyball rallies past No. 15 Mount Allison in national quarter-final

By: Fernando Bossoes
Humber Athletics Communications

NIVERVILLE, Man. – No. 12 Humber women's volleyball started its 2026 CCAA Women's Volleyball National Championship campaign with a comeback win. The Hawks defeated the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) champions, the No. 15 Mount Allison Mounties, in four sets (22-25, 25-13, 25-20, 25-23) on Wednesday evening.

Fans in Niverville will watch a rematch of last year's gold medal game in the national semifinal, as the Hawks take on the three-time reigning national champions, the No. 6 Lakeland Rustlers.

Match recap

Humber women's volleyball landed in Niverville, chasing the program's first CCAA gold medal. Their opening opponent was the ACAA champions, No. 15 Mount Allison Mounties.

The Mounties arrived with momentum after rallying to win both the ACAA semifinals and finals to capture the program's fifth provincial medal, setting up a clash between that momentum and the Ontario powerhouse.

The squad from New Brunswick came out of the gates hot, catching fire from the end line with four aces and standing tall at the net with two blocks to jump ahead 11-6. The Hawks trimmed the deficit to one late in the set as Keyome Ellis commanded the offence with five kills, but the Mounties held steady and took the opening 25-22.

Humber knew the importance of taking the second. The Hawks got off to a strong start and controlled the tempo throughout, tying the game with a 25-13 win.

In the third set, the Hawks found themselves trailing early. Down 10-5 after a few miscues, head coach Chris Wilkins called a timeout to ice the game. The Hawks returned with momentum as Hannah Manners scored three straight points, helping Humber capture the set 25-20.

Both teams traded points and the lead throughout the fourth set. The Hawks looked to close the match, while the Mounties still had gas in the tank to battle. With the set on the line at 24-23, rookie middle blocker Faith Hughes, who had been dominant throughout the match, sealed the win with a kill.

Keyome Ellis was named the Player of the Match, presented by 4imprint, recording a team-high 16 points, 11 kills, 2 service aces, and 4 blocks.

Humber Highlights

• The Hawks improve to 3-0 all-time against the Mounties.
• Humber has dropped only one set to Mount Allison in program history.
• The Hawks are now 8-13 all-time in the CCAA quarter-final round.
• Humber holds a 13-3 all-time record against ACAA programs.
• The Hawks improve to 29-39 all-time at the big dance. 

What's next?

Humber will now face the four-time ACAC champions, the No. 6 Lakeland Rustlers, tomorrow, March 12, in the CCAA semifinal. This meeting will be a rematch of last year's national gold medal game.

The first set is slated for 9 p.m. EST and will be streamed live on CCAA Live. Follow Humber Hawks and Humber women's volleyball and visit humberhawks.ca for the full tournament coverage.