The energy from the Humber women’s volleyball team’s bench was electrifying as they started strong in their final game of the regular season against the Mohawk Mountaineers.
Hannah Manners, a senior Humber women’s volleyball outside hitter, said the team came in with the mindset of winning.
“We’ve had great practices all week, so I think we were really ready for this one,” Manners said.
This was also a special night for her as the Hawks celebrated Senior Night.
“I just wanted to do it for everyone who’s supported me since I’ve been here,” she said.
The Hawks finished their season undefeated with a perfect 18-0 record, ranking them first in the Ontario Colleges Association (OCAA) West Division and fourth nationally. The Mountaineers are 9-8 with one game left to go and rank fourth in the west.
Amanda Larsen, the Hawks' middle blocker, spiked the ball down the centre to get them on the board, and it was difficult for Mohawk to revive themselves.
Manners, who racked up 16 kills by the end of the night, gave the Hawks a seven-point lead and sealed the first set with a score of 25-18,
After a switch of sides to start the second, Mohawk got on the board first, but Humber was not deterred.
Humber found its rhythm again, and the Mountaineers were left in the dust, as the Hawks did not look back.
The Navy-and-Gold dominated the set by nine with a score of 25-16.
Mohawk started well in the third match, but their lead did not last long.
Humber came back with a huge block, and despite their best efforts Mohawk could not fight to keep the ball alive.
Humber proved too tall of a task for their opponent, winning the third set 20-25, to send the Mountaineers packing.
In a post-game interview, Chris Wilkins, head coach of the Humber women’s volleyball team, said he was pleased with the game's result.
“It’s always hard, there’s lots of distraction with it being senior night, and you know we already clinched first place,” Wilkins said. “So it was nice that we sort of stayed focused, you know, we did what we were supposed to do.”
He said the successful season would not have been possible without the depth of the team.
“We have so many people that can kind of go in and no one feels the pressure of having to be that person to do everything because we have so many people that can just help out when needed,” Wilkins said.
He also credits players like Humber Hawks' setter Kennedy Williscroft and libero Reese Cholette for the work they put in this season.
“She [Reese] just digs everything and makes it hard for the other team to score on us,” he said.
As the Hawks have their eyes set on the post-season, Wilkins said his goal moving forward is to win another championship with the team.
“We work hard all year to get ourselves into this position, so now we’re gonna enjoy the fruits of our labour and work hard and see if we can pull it off,” he said.
