For the first time since 2003-04 the Niagara College men's volleyball program will compete for an OCAA Championship gold medal. The Knights defeated the Fanshawe Falcons in their OCAA Championship semi-final match on Saturday, February 28th in Windsor, Ontario. The Knights won the match 3-1 and the set scores in the contest were 25-27, 25-22, 25-20, 25-23.
Rookie outside hitter Cole Jordan (London) was named player of the match for Niagara. The six-foot-four general business student finished the match with 10 kills, four blocks, and 16 digs.
"We passed and served incredibly well today" said Niagara College men's volleyball head coach Nathan Groenveld. "Our back court defense has been a strength all season, and today we were able to keep balls alive and score points in a variety of ways."
For the second consecutive match the Knights offense was driven by third-year outside hitter Jeff Scott. The six-foot-four native of Georgetown had a dominant game for the Knights, finishing with 17 kills and 10 digs. Scott was named the Knights' player of the match during the team's opening game victory against Mohawk.
"Jeff had an outstanding match today" continued Groenveld. "He is playing at a very high level right now, and his experience and leadership have been big factors for us this season."
Recently named OCAA first team all-star Aaron Vanderlugt (Burlington) continued his all-star form, finishing with eight kills, and a block. While team veterans Logan Varga (Brantford) and Bret Polfuss (Kitchener) recorded seven and six points respectively.
The Knights other two 2014-15 OCAA league all-stars Steve Stone and Bailey Cochrane were also major factors in the victory.
Stone a six-foot-two setter from St. Catharines finished with a match high 46 assists. The recreation and leisure services student also added 14 digs. While Cochrane, the OCAA regular season leader in digs finished with an impressive 26 digs. Cochrane is a two-time OCAA league all-star.
The Knights will now advance to the OCAA gold medal match scheduled for Sunday, March 1st at 6:00pm. Their opponent will be either the host St. Clair Saints or Humber Hawks. The Knights split their two regular season matchups with both teams in 2014-15.
With the win the Niagara College men's volleyball program have punched their ticket to the CCAA national championship being hosted by Holland College in Charlottetown PEI. The Knights will receive a berth in the event as the OCAA is guaranteed two spots in this year's national championship
Coach Groenveld continued "We now have a very short turnaround, and will have a tough matchup against a very skilled opponent. Our season has been about process, so it's important that we regain our composure on concentrate on moving forward towards the next match."
The Knights last OCAA medal came during the 2003-04 season when the team walked away with an OCAA gold.
First serve for the March 1st gold medal match is set for 6:00pm. The game will be live streamed at http://www.we-tv.ca/watchlive.html. For all other OCAA men's volleyball championship information please visit http://www.saintsathletics.ca/leagues/custom_page.cfm?clientID=335&leagueID=24690&pageID=16488
