(London, ON) – The Falcons Women's Volleyball team (11-11, 4th West) competed at the OCAA Championship from February 21-22, ultimately finishing fourth in the province. The OCAA final four event was hosted by Humber College.
The Falcons began the final four with a semi-final matchup against No. 11 nationally ranked St. Clair (19-3, 2nd West). Despite the Birds best efforts, they fell short against a talented Saints squad 3-0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-22).
After falling in the semi-final, the Falcons had a bronze medal date with the Niagara Knights (15-7, 3rd West) on Saturday. In a hard-fought contest in which every set was determined by five or less points, the Falcons came up short, losing 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-23) to place fourth in Ontario.
The Falcons saw standout performances from Grace McLean (Dorchester, ON) and Sammie Gibson (London, ON). McLean led Fanshawe with a total of 19 points across their two matches and was named Player of the Game in the Falcons' matchup against St. Clair. Gibson delivered a strong performance in the bronze medal match against Niagara, recording nine points and 15 digs, which earned her Player of the Game honours for Fanshawe.
Despite not seeing the results they were hoping for over the weekend, there is still plenty for the Falcons Women's team to be proud of. From finishing with a 4-14 record and missing the playoffs last season to competing for medals at the OCAA final four, the Falcons improvement in their first season with head coach Sean Pellow back on the bench (previously served as head coach from 2014-2019) cannot be understated.
The Falcons will look to build off the experience gained from their playoff run and return with vengeance next season.
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