Four important points will be up for grabs for Niagara Knights women's volleyball program (9-5, 3rd OCAA West) this weekend. The Knights welcome the Cambrian Golden Shield (8-7, 6th OCAA West) and Boreal Vipères (0-15, 10th OCAA West) to the Welland Campus Athletic Centre on February 6th and 7th.
The weekend set will go a long way in determining the Knights road to the championship. With two less games played the Knights find themselves four points behind the Fanshawe Falcons (11-5, 2nd OCAA West). However, with a log jam in the standings any Knights misstep could prove to be costly. Both the St. Clair Saints (9-6, 3rd OCAA West) and Redeemer Royals (9-6, 3rd OCAA West) sit tied with the Knights in the standings at 18 points apiece.
While a second place finish would earn the Knights a bye directly to the OCAA Championship, a fifth place finish would see the Knights hit the road for the first round of the playoffs. A pair of victories would not only move the Knights into a second place tie in the OCAA West standings with the Falcons, but would also create some separation in the standings from the Saints and Royals.
Niagara's lineup will receive a boost as Rachel Rivers (Cambridge) will return to the court after sitting out the previous match. Rivers brings a tremendous presence to the Knights on both offence and defence, currently leading the team with 2.9 points per set, 2.36 kills per set, and 2.78 digs per set.
Bailey Davis (Cambridge), who currently sits third in the OCAA in assists per set, will continue a key to Knights success. This season the Knights are a perfect 6-0 when Davis records 30 or more assists, and only 3-5 when she records under 30 in a match. If the Niagara hitters can capitalize on the precision passing of Davis, it should help push the Knights towards the path of least resistance on the road to the championship.
Saturday's matchup against Cambrian will take place at 6:00pm, while Sunday's matchup with Boreal will take place at 1:00pm. Both contests will take place at the Welland Campus Athletic Centre. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $5.00 while students and those under the age of 17 are admitted free. Both games will be streamed live at http://goknights.ca/watchlive.
