Though their paths were quite different, both the women's and men's Volleyball teams at St. Clair College have qualified for this year's OCAA Championship.
The women's squad handily defeated La Cite Coyotes (third in East Division) 3-0 on Saturday night at the Sportsplex in playoff action to earn their way to the Final Four.
Saints Women's Volleyball team has punched its ticket to the OCAA Championships at Humber after winning a crossover game against La Cite Coyotes on Feb. 15, 2024. (St. Clair College)
Set scores for the Saints were 25-11, 25-16 and 25-16.
St. Clair was led offensively by third year outside hitter Haleigh Kearns (Prince George, BC; DP Todd Secondary) with nine kills including a .533 kill percentage, two service aces and one stuff block. Fourth year libero Mikayla Stocks (LaSalle; Sandwich Secondary) had a great defensive game with 16 digs.
With the win, the Saints will now take part in the OCAA Championship, hosted by Humber College on Friday and Saturday. The winner will advance to the CCAA Nationals at Durham College.
St. Clair will take on the Fanshawe Falcons in the semi-final on Friday (Time TBA). The Falcons finished fourth in the West Division with a record of 9-9 and are ranked eighth in Ontario. The Saints finished the regular season ranked second in the West Division with a record of 16-2 and are currently ranked 11th in Canada.
Saints Men's Volleyball team has secured a spot in the OCAA Championships after winning against the Conestoga Condors on Feb. 15, 2024. (St. Clair College)
Men's Volleyball score huge upset to clinch OCAA berth
The St. Clair men's volleyball team has qualified for the OCAA Championship for the second time in team history after pulling off another upset win on the road on Saturday night in Kitchener.
The Saints defeated the Conestoga Condors 3-0 to earn their way to the OCAA Final Four in a match that was much closer than the match score indicated.
Set scores for St. Clair were 27-25, 25-23 and 25-21.
The Saints ended the regular season with a record of 6-12, good for eighth place in the West Division, while the Condors were 12-6 and in fourth in the West Division. The Condors are ranked fifth in Ontario while the Saints are unranked, losing both their regular season matches to the Condors.
But the Saints came through when it counted most in a solid team effort, with four players scoring nine or more points. Fourth year middle Zach Walls (Amherstburg; Villanova) led the way with 10 kills, including an .625 kill percentage, one service ace and two stuff blocks.
The Saints will now advance to the OCAA Championship next week. Full details and a game schedule has yet to be released.
This will be the first time the St. Clair men will be playing for an OCAA medal since 2015, when they won a OCAA Silver. The winner of the Championship will advance to the CCAA Nationals at Providence College in Manitoba.
