This past weekend saw the Niagara College men's volleyball program travel north to Sudbury for a pair of late season matches against the Cambrian Golden Shield and Boreal Vipers.
The Knights headed into the matches winners of three straight, and after a January 31st five set win, and February 1st three set sweep, the Knights extended their season longing winning streak to five.
Saturday, January 31st saw the Knights battle a tough Cambrian side fresh off the six-hour trek to the 'nickel' city. The Knights needed five sets to defeat the Golden Shield, with sets scores of 29-27, 24-26, 15-25, 25-19, 15-10.
The Knights were paced by outside hitters Jeff Scott (Georgetown) and Cole Jordan (London) who both finished the match with 20 points.
Scott, a third-year health sciences student, finished with 17 kills, two service aces, and one block. He serves as one of the Knights team captains, and is a former OCAA Rookie of the year.
Jordan is in his rookie season with the Knights. At six-foot-four, the former LVC Fire standout brings the Knights size and athleticism from the outside hitter position. Jordan finished the game with 17 kills and three blocks.
Veteran setter Steve Stone finished with 53 assists in the match.
February 1st saw the Knights make short work of the Boreal Vipers, as the team cruised to a three set 25-14, 25-13, 25-13 victory.
Rookie setter Garrett Suderman enjoyed a strong performance in his first post-secondary start. The Niverville, Manitoba native quarterbacked an efficient Knights offense finishing with 20 assists.
"We finished our northern road trip 2-0 and took a step closer to better playoff standing" said Niagara College men 's volleyball head coach Nathan Groenveld. "At this point of the season it's about getting better and staying healthy, with the key emphasis on health. It's a very long season and the teams that are healthy mentally focussed win matches."
The Knights have now won five straight matches and currently possess a record of 10-5. The team currently sits in a tie for third place in the highly competitive OCAA West with three games remaining in the regular season.
The Knights remaining three opponents are all teams in the heat of the OCAA playoff race. Up next the team will travel to Hamilton to face top-ranked Mohawk Moutaineers (14-1) on Friday, February 6th. First serve is set for 8:00pm.
