(London, Ontario) – The Fanshawe Men's Volleyball squad moved to 6-6 on the season with a 3-1 upset victory over the Redeemer Royals (8-5) at home on Wednesday evening. The game was in support of mental health awareness and the Bell Let's Talk initiative.
Fifth-year Falcon Mike Liscumb (Ilderton, ON) opened the scoring with a kill for the Birds. Fanshawe continued to pressure the Royals and took a 12-8 mid-set lead. Points from Mitch McFadden (St. Paul's, ON) and Luke Blissett (London, ON) extended Fanshawe's lead and the home team won the first set by a score of 25-18.
Daniel Ridings (St. Catherines, ON) started set two off with three straight service aces. McFadden and Liscumb had strong hits for the red and white. Unfortunately for the Falcons, Redeemer was able to come back late in the set to take a 25-22 win.
The teams went back and forth to open the third set. A tip from Ewan Mason (London, ON) then gave the Falcons a slim advantage. A huge block from McFadden stretched Fanshawe's lead to 18-13 and excited the home crowd. London native Elliott Leslie finished the set with an unexpected tip to win 25-19.
The momentum continued for the Falcons into the fourth set. Fanshawe played solid as a team with their offense sparking from nice digs from libero Justin Rulli-Levere (Beamsville, ON). The Falcons maintained their lead due to a couple of missed serves by Redeemer and McFadden put the game away with a kill. Ridings and McFadden had 13 and 12 points respectively, while Liscumb added 10. Liscumb is currently third in all-time Fanshawe blocks with 93 and fifth in all-time Fanshawe Men's Volleyball points with 396.
On Saturday, January 25, Fanshawe Athletics will host their annual Falcons Fest event featuring a quad-header against the rival Humber Hawks. Women's Volleyball will start things off at 1pm, followed by Men's Volleyball at 3pm, Women's Basketball at 5pm and ending with Men's Basketball at 7pm. There will be free food and soft drinks while supplies last and one-of-a-kind Falcons beach towels will be given out to the first 75 fans per game (limit one per person).