DURHAM 3, GEORGIAN 2

OSHAWA, Ont. - The CRWC was electric Thursday night as the Durham College men's volleyball team extended their current win streak to 13 games after defeating Georgian College in a grueling five set match. Set scores were 20-25, 25-21, 25-27, 25-15 and 15-13.

The Lords were challenged throughout the match as the Grizzlies offensive capabilities were on par with the Lords on this night. Both teams tallied over 45 kills but the difference for the Lords was their ability to be efficient when attacking. The Lords attack percentage was over 40 per cent with seven players recording five or more kills on the night.

Recent OCAA athlete of the week Paul Rapos (Oshawa, Ont.) played a major role in the Lords victory as he was able to turn the tide early in the match providing a spark off the bench. Rapos finished with seven kills, four digs, two blocked shots and a service ace.

Setter Riley McAllister (Whitby, Ont.) also performed at a high level for the Lords collecting 30 assists while also providing defence with 12 digs and one blocked shot and offence with six kills and two service aces. Brad van Hartingsveldt (Newcastle, Ont.) was exceptional as well down the stretch ramping up the passion after all of his team leading 10 kills.

The Grizzlies were led by Jason Grimm and Lyndon Sonego who each earned double digit kills in the loss.

The victory made the evening even better for the four graduating senior's as they were honoured for their time with Durham prior to the game. Graduating senior's were McAllister, van Hartingsveldt, Dan Popovic (Pickering, Ont.) and Michael Harper (Oakville, Ont.).

The Lords will now end the season on the road heading to the nation's capital for a back-to-back set beginning Friday, Feb. 7 against Algonquin with first serve set for 8 p.m. Algonquin and Durham are in a battle for top spot in the OCAA East region as the teams only have one loss apiece.

Source: Durham College

OSHAWA, Ont. - For the Georgian Grizzlies men's and women's volleyball teams it was a busy end to the regular season, first beginning with a trip to Oshawa, Ont., to face the Durham Lords in games originally scheduled the week prior followed by a trip to North Bay, Ont., to face the Canadore Panthers in their regular season finale on Sunday.

The women's team had a strong performance on Thursday against the always difficult Durham Lords. In a very tight game both teams battled back and forth in a match that went the five set distance. Georgian were able to rally back to take the final two sets in a 3-2 victory (26-28, 25-23, 12-25, 25-21, 18-16). Natalie Buck (Keswick, Ont.) had a season-high 21 points in the marathon match for the Grizzlies.

Playing their third match in five nights, the Grizzlies faced the Canadore Panthers in the regular season finale. After getting up two sets to none, Georgian simply ran out of gas as Candore rebounded for a 3-2 victory (21-25, 22-25, 25-18, 25-17, 15-6). Buck again led the Grizzlies in scoring with 13 points while teammate Allison Marshall (Orillia, Ont.) had 12 points in the loss.

The final split guarantees the Grizzlies will finish third in the OCAA East Division standings and will play host to a crossover playoff game against the St. Clair Saints on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 1 p.m. at the Georgian Athletic Centre. Fans are encouraged to come cheer on the Grizzlies in the big match-up with the winner qualifying for the OCAA Women's Volleyball Championship held at Durham College.

On the men's side, the Grizzlies put up a great battle against the second place team in the East Division in the Durham Lords. Georgian twice had the lead slip away as Durham battled back winning the final two sets to win the match 3-2 (20-25, 25-21, 25-27, 25-15, 15-13). Jason Grimm (Orangeville, Ont.) led all players with 18 points in the contest.

In their match against Canadore the Grizzlies again were in tight in the first two sets but ultimately dropped them 27-25 and 25-23 which could have went either way. From there Georgian couldn't come up with a comeback in the third set dropping it 25-16 to lose 3-0 in a game that was much closer than it appeared.

The men's team will now prepare for the OCAA Men's Volleyball Championship of which the Grizzlies will play as the host team with the tournament scheduled from Feb. 20-22 at Georgian College in Barrie, Ont.

Source: Georgian College

Photo Credit: Al Fournier