Falcons Make Quick Work of Redeemer

(London, Ontario) The Fanshawe Women's Volleyball team (9-9) closed out the regular season at home with a commanding victory over Redeemer (8-10) in straight sets.

The Falcons came ready to play in a pivotal game against Redeemer, as both teams had the same record going into Saturday's matchup. Both teams traded points early in the first set until the Birds scored six unanswered points to take a 10-5 lead. Charlee Akehurst (Kitchener, ON) made an early impact on her Senior Night, playing a key role in the Falcons offence in the first. Akehurst finished her night with eight kills and eight digs showcasing her versatility and driving Fanshawe to a 25-12 set one win.

The second set saw more domination by the Falcons early, getting out to an early 10-5 set lead. However, a scrappy Redeemer team weathered multiple Falcons runs to keep the set tight until the end. Kaidance Matteis (Chatham, ON) was a defensive stalwart for the Birds, picking up a key ace and block late in the set, lifting them to a 25-21 win.

Fanshawe was not interested in playing more than three sets as they got out to a 14-6 lead in the third. Sammie Gibson (London, ON) another standout senior for the Birds was impressive all day in this high-stakes matchup. Gibson finished her night with a team high 10 kills and 12 digs. Ally Taylor (Regina, SK), a Falcons' senior did her thing this game, collecting 31 assists to quarterback the Falcons to a 25-16 set win and clean sweep of the Royals.

This win was huge for the Falcons to help them secure the fourth seed in the OCAA West Division and earn them a home playoff game. The Birds are set to host the OCAA East Division five seed, Centennial (11-7) at Glenn Johnston Athletic Centre at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday February 8^th.

-30-