Humber Hawks men's volleyball boasting an unbeaten 12-0 record and ranked third in the country took to the North campus court Saturday to face the St. Clair Saints.
The Saints, on the other hand, are not at the calibre of their 13-5 team last year. They're currently 3-8 through 11 games.
Both teams started the series determined and focused, but neither could take control. The lead never exceeded four points.
When Humber held a slim margin of 16-15, a kill from Michael McAlpine provided that spark of confidence the Hawks needed and widened the lead to 20-17.
A service error from St. Clair, a common occurrence throughout the contest, would be the final blow to their opening set. Humber would rally with five straight points to take the set 25-17.
Fourth-year player and star of the game Kyle Gray-Phillips said early energy is what helps keep momentum.
“We came out hot,” he said.
“It keeps the energy high as you’re rolling through the sets. We worked on the little things and executed them,” Gray-Phillips said.
That energy was evident as the Hawks took a quick 8-2 lead early into the second set.
But St. Clair didn’t back down and rallied to cut the lead to 10-8.
Service errors from both sides kept the second frame close until the Hawks gained control of the set leading 19-14.
Humber’s lead became too much of a hill for the Saints to climb, and the second set went to the Hawks, 25-18.
The third set saw Humber gain another early six-point edge, up 10-4.
Service errors from the Saints became the Hawks’s advantage and their confidence grew by building a seemingly overwhelming lead of 16-5.
St. Clair managed to tilt the court and apply some late pressure, grabbing points where they could, but it wasn’t enough.
Humber would take the final set by a score of 25-13 and win the game three sets to none.
The last time these two teams met was in December 2024, and the game went to the fifth set and the Hawks eked out a three-point victory.
Former player-turned-assistant coach Chris Bowen said the Hawks’ performance in this contest is more of what the management wants from the team.
“We didn’t let them get any confidence, that’s what we let them do last game,” he said.
“Last time they were able to come off the bus thinking that they had a chance, and now we sent them to the bus knowing there is no chance,” Bowen said.
With this win, Humber moves to 13-0 on the season, only dropping four sets all year.
The next game of this historic season is Wednesday against the Niagara Knights (7-5).
