#5 Fanshawe Opens Falcons Fest with 3-0 Win Over Niagara

(London, Ontario) – The #5 CCAA ranked Fanshawe Women's Volleyball squad (14-0) defeated the Niagara Knights (9-5) in three straight sets on Saturday afternoon. The match was part of the annual Falcons Fest event, featuring four back-to-back games at the Glenn Johnston Athletic Centre. The Falcons currently sit in first place in the OCAA West Division and have clinched a playoff spot.

The opening set saw the Falcons take an early lead with a Danielle Grasman (Komoka, ON) kill. Fanshawe continued to roll with strong hits from Janelle Albert (Brampton, ON) and Katie Stewart (Gananoque, ON). A service ace from Ainsley Acton (Lucan, ON) gave the Birds a cushion and the home team took set one 25-10.

Falcons captain Meghan Morelli (London, ON) got the crowd on their feet with a strong left-side kill early in the second set. The Knights stayed within reach with a couple of points of their own but a hit from Jacqueline Coulter (Calgary, AB) put Fanshawe up 15-12 midway through the set. Despite Niagara's best efforts, the Falcons would win set two, 25-19.

Back-to-back points from Tarea Heshka (Erin, ON) gave the red and white a 6-2 advantage to open set three. First-year Falcon Kelsey McLennan (Brandon, MB) notched a service ace for Fanshawe to extend their lead. A Kim Hardy (Melbourne, ON) block would give the Falcons the third set win by a score of 25-17. Fanshawe took the first match of Falcons Fest three sets to none. Albert led the home team with 11 points on the match, while Grasman added 10 points.    

The Falcons will be on the road for their next match on Tuesday, January 29 versus Redeemer (5-9). The next home game for Fanshawe will be on Saturday, February 2 at 1pm against #14 nationally ranked Humber (10-3).