A victory on Friday night for the Niagara Knights men's volleyball program (13-3, 2nd OCAA West) over the Conestoga Condors (5-11, 7th OCAA West) would clinch second place and a berth in the OCAA Championships on February 25-27. Friday evening will serve as Grad Night for Niagara, who will honour three graduating athletes prior to the opening serve, in what could be their final match on home court.
With two games remaining in the regular season, a single victory will be enough for the Knights to guarantee themselves second place in the OCAA West division. Not only would the Knights avoid a potential crossover match with a strong East division opponent, they would book their ticket directly into the Championship at Humber College. With the Mohawk Mountaineers (12-5, 3rd OCAA West) and Sheridan Bruins (12-5, 3rd OCAA West) each sitting a 12 wins with a game remaining, a 14th victory by the Knights would put both the Mountaineers and Bruins out of reach.
Entering Friday's match with the Condors, the Knights are riding a three game winning streak. Cole Jordan (London) was the hot hand for Niagara last weekend, earning athlete of the week honours for his efforts. Despite being mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, the Condors have a two game winning streak of their own on the go. In their other matchup this season, the Knights cruised to a 3-0 (25-14, 25-19, 25-21) victory in Kitchener. Nathan Snippe (St. Anns) was the leader for the Knights in the victory, with 15 points in the win.
All-time the Knights hold a 10-1 overall advantage over the Condors, including each of the last 10 victories. Much like the last time they played, Niagara will rely on a balanced attack that is propelled by the passing ability of Steve Stone (St. Catharines). Stone currently sits third in the OCAA, recording an average of 9.10 assists per set, and 446 overall this season. He is aided by an offence that features two of the OCCA's top offensive players in Nathan Snippe and Jeff Scott (Georgetown) who both find themselves in the top 11 in points per set this season.
Opening serve on Friday is scheduled for 8:00pm at the Welland Campus Athletic Centre. The Knights will honour a pair graduating athletes for their accomplishments both on and off the court prior to the first serve. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $5.00 while students and those under the age of 17 are admitted free. Both games will be streamed live at http://goknights.ca/watchlive.
