Lady Lakers Capture Silver at OCAA volleyball championships

TORONTO, ON – The Ontario Colleges Athletic association wrapped-up its volleyball championships Saturday with the Gold medal match featuring the top two ranked teams in the OCAA, the Humber Hawks and Nipissing Lady Lakers.

In front of a packed house the teams took to the court to renew the yearlong battle of the top seeds. The Hawks came out strong in the early stages with aggressive serving putting pressure on the Laker receivers who seems a little nervous. The Hawks led the set all the way and defeated the Lakers 25-15.

After the loss the Lakers seemed to re-focus and the second set was a back and forth affair that saw numerous momentum changes and terrific defense by both squads. The Lakers went on a 4-point run late in the set to take the lead 22-20. The Lakers then shut down the Hawks Perfection Powell with a big block however the Hawks were able to recover on a missed lift call that drew boos from the crowd. The momentum seemed to change again after this with the Hawks Amanda Arlette serving some tough balls and the Hawks closed out the second set on a 5-point run winning 25-22.

The third set saw the Lady Lakers apply immediate pressure from start to finish. The offense started clicking and the Lakers blocking was effective at shutting down the Hawks left side players. The Lakers captured the third set 25-21.

The fourth set was a dramatic affair that saw the Lakers overcome a 10-2 deficit to draw the match even at 18-18. The Lakers setter Christina Crozier then stuff blocked Powell to give the Lakers a one point lead however during this point she was hit inadvertently on the block and received a cut on the nose from the collision. The cut started to bleed delaying the match two minutes and the cut would not stop bleeding forcing the coaching staff to make a double substitution. Setter Michelle Irwin and Giota Athanasopoulos came in the game and Athanasopoulos made a spectacular block on Powell sending the crowd to its feet to give the Lakers a two point lead. The Hawks regained the serve off of a Laker error and Powell served some tough balls putting pressure on the receivers changing the momentum once again in the match. The Hawks went on to win the final set 25-21.

“Sometimes the only difference between two quality teams playing great in a tight match is a little luck and today we were on the wrong end of it,” said head coach Marc LaRochelle. “I am extremely proud of our team and the effort and resiliency they showed throughout this tournament. When everybody started counting us out they dug in and battled for every point and gave it all they had. As a coach you can’t ask for anymore then that.”

“From the beginning of the tournament we faced obstacles from seeding, to draw changes and the girls took it all in stride and never deterred from their goals. In the end we came out a little short on the score sheet however the team can be truly satisfied with the fact that every player left everything on the floor and gave it their all.”

The Lady Lakers will now apply for one of two wildcard berths available to the National championships held at NS Agriculture College, NS March 9-11.