(London, Ontario) – The Falcons Men's Volleyball team (5-2) captured their fifth win in a row on Saturday afternoon on home court after defeating the Niagara Knights (2-4) in five sets.

Elliott Leslie (London, ON) set up Tanner Paterson (Baden, ON) for Fanshawe's first kill of the match, but the Knights came ready to play. Niagara took a 12-5 mid-set lead on the Birds. A huge block from Broderick Refflinghaus (London, ON) excited the home crowd, followed by a service ace from Paterson. But the Niagara attack did not let up and Fanshawe dropped set one 25-18.

It was all Falcons in the second frame, as the red and white regrouped and jumped out to a 4-0 lead with a block from Daniel Ridings (St. Catharines, ON). Consecutive service aces from Jack Voght (Ottawa, ON) and a kill from Evan West (London, ON) extended Fanshawe's lead to 17-6. The Birds continued to roll with a Kobe John (Toronto, ON) block and they won set two 25-10.

The teams exchanged points to open set three, but Niagara began to pull away on a five point run to make the score 15-10. A hit from Ridings kept Fanshawe within reach, but the Knights were able to pull off another 25-18 set win.

Back-to-back kills from Paterson and Ridings put the Birds ahead early in the fourth frame. Fanshawe then had two left-side kills from Voght to extend their lead. Rookie middle Jayden Crowther (London, ON) made the score 12-5 for the home team midway through the set. Niagara's attempt at a comeback fell short and the Falcons soared to a 25-17 fourth set win, forcing a final set.

Niagara jumped out to a 7-3 lead in the fifth set, but the Falcons did not let up. A huge block by West and Voght sparked some momentum for Fanshawe, giving them a slim 10-9 advantage. Crowther then came up huge with back-to-back blocks to give the Falcons a 15-9 fifth set win, claiming the match 3-2.

Four Falcons were in double-digits for the match, Paterson (17), West (15), Ridings (12) and Voght (11). Next up, Fanshawe will face the No. 10 nationally ranked Redeemer Royals (4-1) on Friday, March 4 in Ancaster at 8:00 p.m. The match can be streamed at www.fanshawefalcons.ca/watchlive.

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