(London, Ontario) – The No. 4 CCAA ranked Fanshawe Women's Volleyball squad (13-0) defeated the No. 15 Humber Hawks (10-3) 3-1 on Saturday afternoon. The Falcons currently sit in first place in the OCAA West Division and have clinched a playoff spot. The match was part of the annual Falcons Fest event, featuring four back-to-back games at the Glenn Johnston Athletic Centre with free food, soft drinks and Falcon beach towels provided for fans.
It was a battle that lived up to the hype from the get-go between two of the top teams in the country. Janelle Albert (Brampton, ON) got the Falcons on the board to open the match. Strong hitting from the Hawks gave them a 14-10 lead, but the Falcons would claw their way back with a stuffed block from Mattea Deleary (Ridgetown, ON). An Albert hit tied the game at 24 and Katie Stewart (Gananoque, ON) gave the Falcons a one-point lead with a kill of her own. Albert would score set point on a monstrous hit that excited the home crowd. Fanshawe won the first set 26-24.
Humber came out strong in set two, going up 4-0. The Hawks would maintain their lead until a right side hit from Skylar Johnston (Hamilton, ON) and service ace from setter Ashley Rafferty (Peace River, AB) gave the Falcons some momentum. Unfortunately, Humber would hold on and win the second frame 25-17.
Lauren Vahrmeyer (Vineland, ON) had an excellent block at the start of the third set to give the red and white a slim advantage. The Fanshawe captain then took over, as Albert scored three straight points to give the Falcons an 18-12 lead. Fanshawe would go on to take the set 25-17.
The Hawks and Falcons traded points in the exciting fourth set. Deleary came up big for Fanshawe with a couple of key hits. The teams battled in each rally towards the end of the set, going into extra points. Fanshawe went down one point 27-26, but were able to come back and claim the 29-27 victory. Albert led the Falcons with a game-high 24 points.
Fanshawe will look to continue their 36-game OCAA win streak next Wednesday, January 29 when they travel to Windsor to play St. Clair (9-3).