The Niagara College Knights Men's Volleyball Program emerged from their Sunday, January 27th matchup against the Nipissing University Lakers with a dramatic come from behind five-set victory. The win moves the Knights to 11-3 on the season, and into sole possession of second place in the OCAA West Division. The set scores for the match were 21-25, 25-19, 24-26, 25-21, 15-12.
Sunday's matchup saw two of thetop-ten ranked teams in the CCAA square off. Nathan Groenveld, Head Coach of the Niagara College Knights explained "we knew going into the match it was going to be a long tough battle."
The dramatic five-set marathon saw the Knights play from behind throughout the match. Coach Groenveld felt his team showed great "composure and execution, particularly at the end of sets."
With each set determined by six points or fewer, the Knights ability to remain calm and score points in pressure situations proved to be the difference in the contest.
The Knights utilized a strong defense and complete team effort to secure the victory. Leading the way offensively for Niagara was a trio of outside hitters.
Fifth-year Paramedic student Shayne Petrusma continued his on-court dominance. The six-foot-five native of Bowmanville, recorded 19 kills, 10 digs, and a critical fifth-set service ace that helped secure the Knights victory.
Petrusma has enjoyed a dominant season for the Knights already being selected three times as Niagara College Athlete of the Week, earning an OCAA Athlete of the Week and a CCAA player of the Month selection. Petrusma currently ranks among the OCAA leaders in kills, points, and digs.
Also recording strong games for the Knights were first-year outside hitters Jeff Scott and Bret Polfuss. Scott, a Georgetown native and Broadcasting student recorded 14 total points and seven digs, while Police Foundations major Bret Polfuss finished with 13 points and 10 digs.
The Knights also received stellar defensive play from their veteran middle blockers. "Sam Youlton and Millar Galbraith once again set the blocking tone and continue to be a force" said Coach Groenveld. "Their veteran leadership really helped, and they played at an extremely high level."
The Niagara College Men's Volleyball Program will return to action on Friday, February 1st at 8:00pm when the team plays their biggest matchup of the season against the CCAA's #3 ranked Redeemer University Royals
The match will see the Welland Campus Athletic Centre play host to a battle for first-place in the OCAA West Division. The two teams last met on November 30th in a five-set marathon that saw the Royals edge out a mere two point victory in the final set.
All Niagara College Varsity Athletics feature free admission and are live broadcasted and archived at www.sportslive.ca.
Niagara College is proud to serve as the host of the 2013 Ironwood Wealth Management Group CCAA Men's Volleyball National Championship March 7-9th at the Welland Campus Athletic Centre.
