February 3, 2024
WELLAND, ONT:, The Niagara College women's volleyball team (11-7) hosted the Sheridan Bruins (5-13) Saturday afternoon at the Simplii Financial Athletic Centre at the Welland Campus. The Knights fought back in this one to beat the Bruins 3-2, after going down two sets to nothing (Set scores were 21-25, 20-25, 25-19, 25-17 and 15-13).
The Knights had a rough start to this match, immediately going down 2-0. However, they found their footing and began to battle back, with the Knights taking the next 3 straight sets to win the contest. Sophia Matias, Knights newcomer, had herself a game with 17 kills, 5 digs, 1 assist and a .467 kill percentage. Jadyn Bertrand played a big role in this one coming off the bench by not only providing a huge burst of energy but also contributing with 10 digs, 4 kills and 1 assist. Hope Nicholson impacted the win with 13 digs and 2 assists.
Head coach of the Knights, Steve Stone, commented on the game by saying "five set thrillers are great for the fans but not always great as a coach." He continued with "big shout out to the girls as that showed a lot of mental toughness and grit to come from behind to take the game." He finished off his quote by complimenting two of the standout players from the match – Sophia Matias and Jadyn Bertrand. "Great to see Sophia come into her own and take over, as well as Jadyn stepping up huge and coming up with clutch and timely plays."
This match concludes the regular season for your Knights as they finish 3rd in their conference. They await to host the 6th place team from the eastern conference on Saturday, February 10th at 2:00pm. Head on down to the Simplii Financial Athletic Centre at the Welland Campus to be loud and catch the action live. The match will also be live-streamed at www.ocaalive.com for those who cannot make it in person.
