With a packed Welland Campus Athletic Centre at the edge of their seats, the Niagara College men's volleyball (1-0, 1st West) program edged out the Fanshawe Falcons (0-1, 12th West) in five sets at the first annual Blue and White Home Opener. The event saw a sold out Welland Campus Athletic Centre of over 750 fans see the Knights win 25-21, 21-25, 20-25, 25-23, 19-17.
The Knights' veteran leaders stepped up and proved why Niagara is the defending OCAA Champion in leading the team to victory. Fourth-year outside hitters Nathan Snippe (St. Anns) and Jeff Scott (Georgetown) led the way for the Knights finishing with 22 and 17 kills respectively. Scott, the Knights 2014-15 MVP, also added two blocks, an ace, and six digs. The ace from Scott was the 51st of his OCAA career, putting him in a tie for first with former student-athlete and current men's volleyball assistant coach Brad Wall.
Veteran setter Steve Stone quarterbacked the Knights offense during the marathon affair finishing with 56 assists.
"Our veteran players really got the job done tonight" said Niagara College men's volleyball head coach Nathan Groenveld. "Fanshawe is a very strong and talented team, and against good teams you need your experience and veteran players to perform. Tonight, in a fantastic home court environment, our veterans performed. "
Over 300 members of the Niagara volleyball community took in the match that saw two of the top men's volleyball programs in the OCAA lock horns. With over 400 Niagara College students also packing the gym, the partisan crowd made life difficult for the visiting Falcons all evening.
"The crowd and community support was fantastic" continued Groenveld. "The noise and the atmosphere were a great experience for our student-athletes. Tonight's Blue and White event was a great kick off to a new tradition at Niagara College."
The Knights also got strong contributions from a trio of rookies in towering six-foot-six middle blocker Shonari Hepburn (Nassau, Bahamas), libero Matt Friesen (Grunthal, MB), and local standout Andrew Vandenburg (St. Catharines). Despite playing in their first OCAA match, Hepburn finished with seven kills and three blocks, while Freisen gave the Knights a match high 20 digs. VandenBurg however, was a force defensively for Niagara finishing with five stuff blocks.
The Knights will face a short turnaround as the team is set to host their 2014-15 OCAA Championship gold medal opponent in the St. Clair Saints on Sunday, October 25. First serve is set for 1:00pm. A replay of the Blue and White Home Opener can be found via the Knights website at www.goknights.ca.
