#1 Fanshawe Men’s Volleyball Secures Spot in OCAA Championship

(London, Ontario) – At the Glenn Johnston Athletic Centre on Saturday afternoon, the #1 nationally ranked Fanshawe Men's Volleyball team (19-0, 1^st in West) punched their ticket to the OCAA Provincial Championship with a three set sweep over the Fleming Knights (6-13, 7^th in East).

The two teams exchanged points to start the match, as both teams looked to settle in. A huge block from Mitch McFadden (St. Paul's, ON) excited the home crowd and got the Falcons rolling. Zach Albert (Brampton, ON) had a rocket serve to extend the Fanshawe lead to 17-7. From there, the Falcons went on to take the first set 25-12.

The red and white took an early lead in set two, with a kill from local outside hitter Taylor Jordan. A great dig from Mike Liscumb (Ilderton, ON) that resulted in a Sebastian Lethbridge (London, ON) point gave the Falcons momentum midway through the set. Fanshawe ended the set at 25-14 with a service ace from James Jackson (London, ON).

The Falcons came out flying in set three with a 4-0 run. The Birds began to run away with it due to brilliant serving from Sam Otten (Delaware, ON). Fanshawe's high-powered attack proved too much for the Knights, as they took the final set 25-7 and the match 3-0. The top performer for the Falcons was Albert, who had 15 points including a Fanshawe playoff record six service aces. The squad also set a new Fanshawe Men's Volleyball record for most aces in a playoff match with a total of 14.

The OCAA Provincial Championship will take place from February 21-23 at Humber College in Etobicoke. The Falcons will face the winner of a crossover match between the Algonquin Thunder (12-6, 4^th in East) and Conestoga Condors (10-8,  5^th in West), in an OCAA quarterfinal at 3pm on Thursday, February 21.