February 7, 2026 

WELLAND, ONT: The Niagara College women's volleyball team (8-8) played host to the St. Clair Saints (14-2) in their final game of the 2025-2026 regular season.  The Knights battled hard but weren't able to prevent the offensive attack of the Saints, losing in straight sets, 3-0 (set scores were 19-25, 14-25 and 15-25).  The Knights finish off the regular season in 6th place in the West and gear up to take on the East's 3rd place Algonquin Wolves (11-5) in the first matchup of the playoffs. 

The Knights began the afternoon trading points back-and-forth with the Saints, in a tightly contested first set.  Any time the Saints would try to pull away, the Knights were ready to compete and bring the score back to within a point – even taking a slight lead numerous times.  It wasn't until late in the set where St. Clair was able to go on a run, ultimately winning the 1st set.  In the second set, Niagara had trouble finding the gas pedal and St. Clair was able to pull ahead early on.  As the Saints kept marching on, the Knights had no answer to slow them down – going down 2 sets to 0.  The 3rd set was similar to the second, as the Knights tried what they could to keep this match going.  Unfortunately, the Saints' attack was just too strong on the afternoon, and Niagara went on to lose the game in straight sets.  Laryssa Schipper led the Knights with 8 points on 6 kills, 2 digs and 2 blocks.  Abbey Gooder followed closely behind with 6 points of her own on 5 kills, 4 digs and 1 block, while Charlize Trudell contributed 4 points on 4 kills, to go along with 2 digs and 1 block. 

We were able to catch up with Schipper, the Niagara Knights middle, after the game where she explained that it "was a tight first set and the girls were able to battle hard and put up a good fight against one of the best teams in the province."  Schipper continued to say, "we made some great plays throughout the night, and we are excited to keep this momentum going as we head into the playoffs." 

Niagara will head into the post-season with a matchup against the East's #3 seed – the Algonquin Wolves (11-5).  The match is set for Sunday, February 15th at the Jack Doyle Athletics Centre in Ottawa, Ontario for 1:00pm.  If you aren't able to make the drive to country's capital, be sure to 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.