October 26, 2025
SAULT STE. MARIE, ONT: The Niagara College women's volleyball team (3-0) capped a weekend series with the Sault Cougars (0-2) Sunday afternoon, coming out with two more victories. Game 1 on Saturday saw the Knights sweep the Cougars (set scores were 25-21, 25-18 and 25-11). Game 2 had the Cougars coming out strong and winning the first set before the Knights were able to take the next 3 sets and the game (set scores were 22-25, 25-17, 25-17 and 25-23).
Making the long journey to Sault Ste. Marie to take on the Cougars, the first time an OCAA regular season volleyball match has been played here in over a decade, the Knights came out strong and showed them what the OCAA West is capable of. In the first set, each team traded points until the Knights were able to pull away late in the set – winning by 4. The second set saw more dominance from the Knights as they pulled away early and did not let the Cougars get back into the set at all. In the third set, the Knights were on fire and could not do anything wrong on route to a 14-point victory and clinching the sweep. Sam Cormier led the Knights with 14 points on 12 kills, 6 digs, 1 block, 1 assist and 1 ace. Charlize Trudell followed close behind, contributing 10 points on 8 kills, 2 digs, 1 block, 1 assist and 1 ace.
In game 2 on Sunday, the Knights were caught flat-footed out of the gate as the Cougars took a mid-set lead that they would hold onto and earn their first set win of the 2025-2026 season. In the second set, the Cougars came out swinging again – hungry for their first win. This time around, the Knights were able to hold off the Cougar attack and score the last 5 points of the set to take the set win. The 3rd set was very much like the second, where the Knights controlled the ball well and were able to come out with the comfortable set win. The 4th set saw the Knights take control early before witnessing a late surge from the Sault that had them back within 1 point of Niagara, at 24-23. The Knights took a strategic time-out, stepped back onto the court and were able to tame the Cougars – scoring the next point to win the set and the game. 5 players for the Knights scored in double-digits in this game – Sam Cormier (16), Tess Kelly (14) and 11 points for Abbey Gooder, Laryssa Schipper and Amy Barlow. Tia Kelly managed the offense spectacularly, providing 39 assists, 3 digs, 2 aces and 4 points of her own.
"The ladies played well all weekend and got the job done," Steve Stone, head coach of the Knights began to say. "They stuck together and were able to make the necessary adjustments as the games went on," Stone continued and mentioned that there is "more work to do for next weekend but we like the way we're trending."
The Knights finally come back to the Simplii Financial Athletic Centre at the Welland Campus next weekend for their first home games of the 2025-2026 season. They are set to take on the Boreal Vipers (0-2) on Saturday, November 1st at 4pm and the Cambrian Shield (1-1) on Sunday, November 2nd at 1pm. If you can't attend to watch your Knights live in action, make sure you tune into OCAA Live so you don't miss a thing.
For more information on the Knights' teams, please visit us at www.goknights.ca.
