Tradition continues
Niagara Knights win a medal in women’s college volleyball for third year in a row
Nathan Janzen knows a tradition when he inherits one.
When the one-time assistant coach at McMaster University became head coach of the women’s volleyball team at Niagara College at the beginning of the 2016-17 season, he was taking over a program that had won medals at the past two Ontario championships.
Each of those top-three finishes – bronze in 2015, silver a year later – was won under different coaches at the helm, so Janzen had to shoulder that pressure as well.
Janzen, a Hamilton resident who now lives in Fonthill, and the Knights met those expectations on the weekend, returning home from provincials with the bronze medal.
Niagara rebounded from a disappointing, four-set loss to the Durham Lords, the eventual silver medallists, in the semifinals, by edging the host St. Clair Saints in a five-set thriller Sunday afternoon in Windsor.
After opening the final for third place with 25-22, 25-19 victories, the Knights dropped the next two sets 25-22, 25-22 to suddenly find themselves on the brink of elimination.
However, the third time once again proved to the charm for Niagara, which swept the Windsor school in the home-and-home series in league play this season. The Knights swept the Saints 3-0 Oct. 30 in Windsor and won in four sets Jan. 22 in Welland.
“I’m incredibly proud of our resiliency,” Janzen said. “Each individual contributed to this victory, and I’m honoured to be a part of a memory that will last these student-athletes’ lifetime.”
Outside hitters Jordan Koslowski, who is from Hamilton, and Rachel Rivers, Cambridge; led the Knights on offence in the bronzemedal match. Koslowski, who was selected as an all-Canadian as well as a tournament all-star, had 10 kills and six service aces, while Rivers recorded 16 kills.
Setter Bailey Davis, Georgetown; was hailed as Niagara’s player of the game finishing with 33 assists.
Niagara earned a bye into the Ontario Colleges Athletics Association (OCAA) championships by finishing the regular season second in the West Division with a 15-3 record. They advanced to the medal round with a four-set victory over the Cambrian Golden Shield – 18-25, 25-22, 25-19, 25-15 – in Friday’s quarter-final round.
Koslowski was Niagara’s top player in the match with 17 kills, six aces and a block for 24 points.
The Knights’ quest for their first gold since winning it all in 1970 came to an end Saturday in a fourset loss – 25-20, 25-17, 22-25, 25-21 – to Durham in the semifinals.
Like the Humber Hawks, who went on to win their 10th straight Ontario championship, Durham finished league play undefeated with 18-0 records.
Humber swept Durham 3-0 for the gold medal.
This year’s bronze was the fifth in the history of the women’s volleyball program at the region’s community college. The Knights captured gold in 1970, silver in 2003 and 2016, under interim head coach Ray Sarkis, as well as a bronze in 2015, under Joey Martins.
Niagara intercollegiate athletic programs have six medals to their credit this season and the Welland school could add two more at the men’s and women’s basketball championships next weekend.
In 2016-17 the Knights have gold medals in men’s team and individual golf, women’s individual golf, a silver in women’s curling, as well as bronze in men’s individual golf and, now, women’s volleyball.
The men’s golf team and golfer Josiah Dixon won gold medals at nationals.
Sharing the spotlight
With the men’s volleyball team out of the playoffs and the men’s basketball team enjoying a bye week, Niagara College only had a female athlete of the week. In fact, it had two. Jordan Koslowski, who helped lead the Knights to the bronze medal in volleyball, and Mary Ingribelli, a key contributor in a must-win basketball playoff game, are the top female athletes for the week ending Sunday.
Koslowski, a 5-foot-10 outside hitter from Hamilton, wrapped up the season in spectacular fashion. In addition to being selected a first-team OCAA all-star and winning the West Division scoring title, she became the first player in the history of women’s volleyball at Niagara to be named an all-Canadian.
Koslowski finished league play with 267 total points, most ever in the program’s history.
Ingribelli, a St. Catharines native who played her high school hoops at Governor Simcoe, scored 29 points - the most in her threeyear, post-collegiate career – in an 86-72 victory over the Centennial Colts.
She shot 10-of-14 from the field and finished the cross-over provincial playoff qualifier played Sunday at the Athletic Centre in Welland with five rebounds.
“Mary was on fire for us today. What a game!” Niagara head coach Mike Beccaria said. “Her acrossthe-board effort was outstanding, just a monster performance.”
With the win, Niagara clinched a berth in the Ontario championships that get underway Thursday at Seneca College in Toronto.