Knights find groove
Niagara comes back from brink in men’s V-ball; Knights split doubleheader in hoops
Niagara earned a tough comefrom-behind victory defeating Conestoga 3-2 in men’s college volleyball.
After dropping 25-17 and 2518 sets, the Knights took the next three improving their record to 3-1 with the win in Kitchener.
“I was proud of the way we kept making little adjustments and kept battling,” said coach Nathan Groenveld, whose team took over sole possession of third place in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association West Division.
“All I asked the guys was to keep it close enough so when we gained traction we were close enough to have it change the outcome of the match.
“And, to their credit, they did just that.”
Niagara players found their groove in the third set against the Condors. They came back from the brink of elimination with 2522 and 26-24 victories to force a fifth, and deciding, set.
Both teams traded blows, keeping the fifth set close, while giving both programs the opportunity to win.
Jaydon Milne, a first-year outside hitter from Toronto, served two straight service aces to clinch the 15-11 victory.
Milne finished with a teamhigh 17 points.
Veteran setter Ben Fillmore’s performance was impressive, as was the Port Dover native’s calming influence on his teammates on the Knights.
“I thought Ben Fillmore was absolutely awesome tonight,” Groenveld said. “He had 46 assists, and he kept us composed when things weren’t going our way.”
Two second-year players from St. Catharines — middle blocker Jacob Williamson, outside hitter Mitch Sawatsky — contributed 16 and 15 points, respectively, in the win.
Niagara will be back in action when it hosts the fifth-place St. Clair Saints, 2-1, Saturday at the Athletic Centre in Welland, beginning at 2:30 p.m.
Knights sweep Condors
A “great week of practice” returned big dividends for Niagara in women’s volleyball.
First-year setter Melissa McFadden of Hannon, Ont., a suburb of Hamilton, had 30 assists to help the visiting Knights sweep Conestoga — 25-14, 25-13, 25-9.
Niagara rebounded from a loss to Mohawk to improve to 3-1.
“It was a bounce-back victory, and I’m pleased the team got rewarded for their great week of practice,” head coach Nathan Janzen said after the win in Kitchener.
“Our communication was great from the very first point and was consistent throughout.
“We look forward to building on this match next week in a bronze rematch versus a tough St. Clair team.”
Niagara’s offence was led by third-year outside hitter Jordan Koslowski, who led the team with a match-high 12 kills. The Hamilton native has been outstanding for the Knights this season averaging 3.7 points per set, good enough for eighth in the OCAA.
Niagara, the third-place team in the west, takes on fifth-place St.
ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Basketball and volleyball players share athlete of the week accolades at Niagara College.
Holy Cross graduate Tianna Stys recorded career highs in points, with 16, and rebounds, 13, helping the Knights to a 69-39 homecourt victory over Lambton in women’s basketball.
“Tia worked really hard during the off-season, and that hard work is really playing off,” head coach Mike Beccaria said in praising the play of the 6-foot St. Catharines native. Stys, who is enrolled in the educational assistant program, is averaging 7.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game while making 45.2 per cent of her shots.
Cayuga’s Ben Fillmore earned
Clair, 2-1, Saturday in Welland. Game time is 12:30 p.m.
The Knights beat the Saints 3-2 for the bronze medal last season.
Road warriors in hoops
After being knocked from the undefeated ranks in men’s college basketball, it’s Niagara’s turn to play the spoiler.
A victory over the 5-0 Redeemer Royals Wednesday in Ancaster would also create a three-way tie atop the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association West Division standings for one day at least. The Humber Hawks, currently alone in first with a 5-1 record, don’t return to the court until they host the Mohawk Mountaineers, 2-4, the following night in Toronto.
Cold shooting, especially from the foul line, was Niagara’s downfall in a 100-95 loss at home to the Lambton Lions. The Knights, 4-1, made just 41 per cent of their free-throw attempts, compared to 70 per cent for their visitors male athlete honours for the week ending Monday by recording 46 assists, the best of his four-year post-secondary career, in a 3-2 victory over Conestoga in volleyball. Fillmore, showing no signs of an injury that sidelined him early in the season, was an offensive catalyst from the setter position as Niagara came back from an 0-2 deficit by sweeping the next three sets.
from Sarnia.
“In the end we shot the ball very poorly from the floor and the foul line,” Mike Hurley said after the first loss of his head coaching career at the post-secondary level.
The opener of a home-andhome series with Redeemer begins a three-game stretch of road games for Niagara in men’s and women’s basketball. The Knights will be in Kitchener playing the Conestoga Condors Wednesday, Nov. 22, and at the Sheridan Bruins Tuesday, Nov. 28, in Brampton.
Niagara’s next home game, and last before the between-semesters break, is Friday, Dec. 8, when Humber visits the Athletic Centre in Welland.
The Niagara women are seeking their win a row in basketball when they visit Redeemer, 2-3, Wednesday. The Knights tamed the Lambton Lions 69-39 in their last start to improve to 3-2 in league play.