Sunday, February 2nd saw the Niagara College women's volleyball program defeat the St. Clair Saints in dramatic come-from-behind fashion. The Knights battled from two sets down to earn a hard fought 3-2 road victory. The set scores in the contest were 25-27, 22-25, 25-20, 25-20, 15-8.
The game was a 'must-win' for the Knights, as the victory moves the team into seventh place in the OCAA West Division. More importantly the team now sits just two points behind St. Clair for the sixth and final playoff position.
After the match Niagara College women's volleyball head coach Joey Martins commented "tonight was a tough match as both teams are fighting against each other to stay alive in the playoff race. I have to give a ton of credit to our entire group. To come from behind in their gym was not an easy thing to do."
Third-year middle blocker Alex Botelho (Stoney Creek) turned in a potentially season saving performance for the Knights. The team captain finished with a season high 23 points on 19 kills, two service aces, and two stuff blocks."
Martins had nothing but praise to say of Botelho's performance. "AJ is a dominant player in our league. Once we stabilized our passing game in sets three through five, she was unstoppable."
Botelho's performance earned the six-foot Recreation and Leisure services student Niagara College athlete of the week honours for the third time this season.
Also turning in strong performances for the Knights was the team's trio of outside hitters in Sami Bailey (Cambridge), Kayde Bailey (Burlington), and Madison Morgan (Whitby). The three players finished with 13, 11, and 10 points respectively.
With just two games remaining in regular season play, the Knights (6-10) are in a must win situation. With wins versus the Boreal Vipers (0-15) on February 8th and the Cambrian Golden Shield (5-10) on February 9th, the potential exists for the team to still qualify for the OCAA Playoffs.
