Seniors Night Success for the Falcons

(London, ON) – The Fanshawe men's volleyball team (11-5, 2nd West) faced the Mohawk Mountaineers (9-7, 5th West) at the Glenn Johnston Athletic Centre on Saturday afternoon in their final regular season match. The Falcons picked up a straight-sets win to head into the playoffs with momentum, defeating the visiting Mountaineers three sets to none.

Prior to the match, the Falcons honoured two graduating seniors in Tanner Paterson (Baden, ON) and Evan Kirkpatrick (Gananoque, ON). Paterson, who joined the program for the 2021-22 season, will graduate as one of the most decorated players in team history. The OCAA West Division Rookie of the Year in his first season, Paterson went on to earn one OCAA First Team All-Star selection, two OCAA Second Team All-Star nods and a CCAA Tournament All-Star honour. He also leaves the program as the all-time leader in points (812), kills (656) and service aces (91). Both Paterson and Kirkpatrick are three-time OCAA medalists as Falcons, collecting two silver medals and one bronze during their careers with their sights set on adding an OCAA Championship in what will be their last dance in the upcoming playoffs.

With playoff seeding on the line, the Falcons were locked in from the opening serve. Paterson added eight more service aces to his record total, proving unstoppable from the service line throughout the match. Kirkpatrick joined the senior showcase in the opening set, registering multiple kills from the middle position and finishing the night with five kills and a block. Fanshawe cruised to a dominant 25-14 first-set victory.

The second set followed a similar script, with Tyler Gibson (Richmond Hill, ON) making a significant impact. Gibson soared above the net to lead the team with 11 kills and 15 points as Fanshawe continued to shut down Mohawk's attack, taking the set 25-16.

The Falcons maintained their momentum in the third set, once again stifling the Mountaineers offensively. Jacob Goldszmidt (London, ON) highlighted the defensive effort with four blocks and four digs on the night. Fanshawe closed out the set 25-15 to complete the sweep.

Fanshawe's final playoff positioning now rests with the Humber Hawks (9-5, 3rd West), who are currently in Sudbury for matches against Boreal (0-14, 10th West) and Cambrian (12-2, 1st West). If Humber wins both matches, the Falcons will drop to the third seed, while a single Hawks loss will

secure second place in the OCAA West Division for Fanshawe. Regardless of the outcome, the Falcons will host a Round One playoff match on Saturday, February 14 at the Glenn Johnston Athletic Centre at 3:00 p.m. For those looking for Valentine's Day plans, how can you not be romantic about playoff volleyball. Let's pack the nest!

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