SOURCE: Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association
It's not the colour they wanted to play for at the CCAA Men's Volleyball Championship, but the Niagara Knights still have a shot at the bronze medal
Niagara's increased efficiency on the attack served as the catalyst for a four-set win in its bronze quarterfinal against the University of Alberta-Augustana Vikings at the Centre for Community Engagement.
Cole Jordan (London, Ont.) paced the Knights with 15 kills and eight digs, while Jeff Scott (Georgetown, Ont.) had 15 kills, four digs, and three block assists to earn player of the game honours for Niagara, who converted 52 kills while committing just 18 attacking errors.
Logan Varga (Brantford, Ont.) also had a strong game for the Knights with five kills, four solo blocks and three block assists.
Veteran middle Jordon Gardiner (Coronation, Alta.) was Augustana's player of the game, pacing the Vikings with eight kills and three service aces, though he also committed three service errors and five blocking errors.
Thomas Regier (Laird, Sask.) had a strong defensive game with 12 kills for the Vikings, though Augustana had some trouble getting through Niagara's blocks at times as they committed 24 attacking errors.
The Knights got off to a hot start with the game's first four points, then kept the advantage through the early part of the set. However, Augustana rallied with a 9-2 run to push ahead 13-9. The rest of the set was very evenly contested on both sides, with Niagara and Augustana trading points. The Knights eventually got the better of the Vikings, grabbing the first set 26-24.
The theme of tight play continued in the second set, though it wasn't immediately present as the Vikings started off quickly, going ahead 12-8 early in the frame. However, the Knights battled back and used a 9-3 run to go up 17-15. Augustana wouldn't give up easily, as they once again tied the match late in the frame. However, for the second straight set, the Knights put it away with the score at 26-24.
Down two sets once again, Augustana battled hard throughout the third set, not allowing Niagara to run away with the match at any point. Most of the action came late in the set, as Vikings head coach Stephen Leggitt called a timeout after the Knights went up 19-18. Augustana responded with three straight points to go up 21-19, then held on to force a fourth set with a 25-23 win.
The Knights' errors certainly didn't help, as they committed seven service errors and six attacking errors in the set.
Niagara opened things up in the fourth set, kicking things off with four straight points and eventually stretching its lead to 12-5. The Knights then held the Vikings at bay for the majority of the set, rarely allowing Augustana to get anything going in terms of having an offensive flow. The Vikings made things somewhat interesting late, but Niagara held on to take the set and match by a score of 25-20.
The Knights now await the loser of Friday's gold semifinal between the Camosun Chargers and Red Deer Kings at 8 p.m., as they will play at 11 a.m. Saturday with a place in the bronze medal game at stake.
Meanwhile, the Vikings will play the loser of the other bronze quarterfinal between the St. Clair Saints and the Holland Hurricanes in the seventh-place game on Saturday at 2 p.m.
