February 15, 2025
WELLAND, ON: The Niagara Knights women's volleyball team (12-6) welcomed the
visiting Redeemer Royals (8-10) for a quarterfinal match-up Saturday night. In a tightly
contested affair, the Knights ended up on top defeating the Royals 3-1. Set scores were
22-25, 25-19, 25-18 and 28-26.
The Knights came into this match having defeated Redeemer both times in the regular
season, with both matches ending 3-0. The Royals were quick to show the Knights that
they were not going to back down in this tilt, coming out strong and eventually winning
the 1 st set by 3 points. In the 2 nd set, points went back and forth for the first half of the
set before the Knights put their foot on the gas and took the 6-point set win. The 3 rd set
was like the 2 nd , seeing the Knights take a 7-point victory this time. With the Knights up
2-1, the 4 th set was a back-and-forth thriller that had points going in every direction.
Stretching the set into extra points, the Knights were able to grind out a 26-26 set with
Montanna Taylor heading to the service line. 27-26, the Knights were up as Taylor put
her serve through the hands of the Redeemer libero. Next, Taylor puts her serve off of
the outstretched arm of the Royals defender for her 2 nd straight service ace and match
point, securing the Knights' ticket to the OCAA Final Four.
Montanna Taylor, the 5 th year setter from St. Catharine's, Ontario, ended the night with
10 points on 5 kills, an astonishing 39 assists, 13 digs, 4 service aces and 1 block. Sam
Cormier and Tess Kelly, both 2 nd year middles from the Niagara region, combined for 25
points on 17 kills, 6 blocks, 2 digs,1 assist and 1 service ace. Natalie Little, the 2 nd year
outside hitter from John McGregor High School, provided some extra power for the
Knights as she chipped in with 9 points on 7 kills, 15 digs, 3 assists and 2 blocks.
Head coach of the Knights, Steve Stone, couldn't control his excitement after the win
saying "We did it! We set out to make the final four and compete for a medal – we've
accomplished it!" Stone went on to say that "we're not done yet though; we are not
satisfied and we know this is another step in our story and our journey." Speaking about
the game, Stone admitted that he was "proud of the girls' grit and resilience showing
once again, proving you can never count us out. Redeemer is playing really high-level
volleyball right now and they are a force, so kudos to them. The ladies believed in each
other and just kept fighting and playing aggressively – allowing us to come out with the
result we wanted. Now we are on to the next challenge."

The next challenge for the Knights sees them travelling to Humber College for the
OCAA Women's Volleyball Championships where they will take on the #1 seeded
Humber Hawks in the semi-finals - This game is scheduled for Friday, February 21 st at
5:00pm. The Knights will also play the following day in either the gold (5:00pm) or
bronze (2:30pm) medal matches. You can catch all the action live at the Humber
Athletic Centre, North Campus – day passes are only $10/person and available at the
door. If you can't attend in person, be sure to cheer on your Knights and watch them
live on the Humber Hawks YouTube channel.
For more information on the Knights' teams, please visit us at www.goknights.ca.