February 23rd, 2023...OAKVILLE - The Niagara Knights women's volleyball team exited the 2023 OCAA Women's Volleyball Championship earlier than they wanted to with a tough 3-0 quarter-final loss to the Humber Hawks. The set scores were 16-25, 16-25 and 14-25.

After coming from behind to steal a 3-2 win over George Brown in their postseason opener, the Knights knew they would have their work cut out for them going up against the OCAA West Division Champ Humber Hawks.

The Knights came out firing in the first, throwing everything they could at Humber. Fifth-year Natasha Desjardins was back in the line-up to take a run at Humber after missing the last few games due to injury. 

Niagara's tenacity kept them close for much of the set, but Humber proved why they are a top-ranked team in the nation as they secured a first-frame victory with little trouble. 

As the second set got underway, it was almost identical to the first. The Hawks looked unenergetic to begin the second frame, but this time around, they recovered quickly and never looked back. Niagara's failure to run away with two early leads led to their motivation being shattered. The Hawks kept it coming and rolled over the Knights in the second set. 

Humber went on a 3-0 run to begin the final frame and take their first early lead of the match. Niagara managed to inch back to within one, but Humber dominated as they went on a 7-2 run to put the game out of Niagara's reach. The Hawks cruised to a third-set victory and secured their spot in the provincial semifinals. 

The loss effectively ended the Knights season, as well as Desjardins time in a Knight uniform. The Welland native amassed a total of 76 games (274 sets), 642 career kills, and 586 digs over the span of her five years with the blue and white, along with her long list of awards she's accumulated - most notably, the 2022 OCAA Player of the Year and CCAA All-Canadian.