The Niagara Knights women's volleyball program (6-2, 3rd OCAA West) kicked off 2016 on January 2nd and 3rd with an impressive second place performance at the 2016 Adidas Cup, hosted by Durham College.
Day 1 saw the Knights open pool play with four games, finishing with three wins and a tie. The tournament opened with a 1-1 (25-18, 23-25) tie against the George Brown Huskies. This was followed by three straight 2-set victories against the St. Clair Saints (25-20, 25-20), Centennial Colts (25-22, 25-13), and Georgian Grizzlies (26-24, 25-14). Leading their pool headed into Sunday, the Knights tied the Mohawk Mountaineers 1-1 (25-10, 27-29) and defeated the Canadore Panthers 2-0 (25-16, 25-20) to close out the round robin. With a record of four wins and two ties, Niagara earned a spot in the final against the Sherbrooke Volontaires.
In what was the most exciting match of the two day tournament, the Knights and Volontaires saved their best volleyball for the final. Outstanding defense at the net and strong digging propelled the Knights to a 25-21 first set victory. However, Sherbrooke was equal to the task with strong back court play, winning the second set 25-11. A closely contested third set saw the teams trade the lead back and forth up until the 10th point, where the Volontaires closed out the match with a 15-11 final set.
Offensively Devon Lowes (Oakville) led the way for Niagara with 23 kills, 7 aces, and 12 blocks. Rookie Jordan Koslowski (Hamilton) led all Knights hitters on the weekend with 24 kills, 14 aces, and 5 blocks. Both Linnea Davis (Brampton) and Rachel Rivers (Cambridge) earned tournament all-star selections for the performances.
Niagara kicks off the second half of the regular season at home on Thursday, January 14th when the Mohawk Mountaineers (2-7, 8th OCAA West) visit the Welland Campus Athletic Centre. First serve is set for 6:00 pm. Prior to the game, Niagara College will be recognizing the 2015 OCAA golf champions, as well as the student-athletes from fall sports who are in their graduating year.
