OSHAWA, Ont. – Durham College hopes their momentum continues into this week's OCAA women's volleyball championship at Redeemer University.
 
On a six-game win streak, the women wrapped up the regular season with five straight set victories. One of those matches was against the Georgian Grizzlies, who they will face in Thursday's OCAA quarter-final in Ancaster.
 
Although they had a strong finish to the season, finishing in a four-way tie for second in the OCAA east division, the Lords had the worst record in the tiebreaker (2-4) and therefore finished fifth. This sent them on the road to Windsor to take on St. Clair in their qualifying match.
 
Durham won the match 3-2 (22-25, 25-23, 27-25, 22-25, 15-11) to advance to this week's event.
 
"We're excited that we're going to the championships," said head coach Tony Clarke. "It was a huge weight off our shoulders winning that match. We were going into a brand new facility and away to somewhere different from what we're used to. Travelling all that distance there were a few things that you think about like the fact we hadn't played as well on the road as we did at home (8-1 home, 6-3 road), but the girls played a great game to get us to Redeemer."
 
The Lords opening match of the three-day championship is Thursday, Feb. 26 at 1 p.m. against the Georgian Grizzlies. Click here to watch the match.
 
Joining the Lords and Grizzlies at the championship from the east division is Trent. From the west division Humber and Niagara go in as the top seeds, with Sheridan, Cambrian and the host Redeemer Royals rounding out the field.
 
"It's nice that we're going in playing a team we've already played," said Clarke. "Our nerves shouldn't be as bad as they could've been being on a big stage."
 
With nine graduating seniors, Durham College is looking to lean on their experience this weekend. Clarke is also excited to have other players play for the first time at an OCAA championship, with the hopes his seniors share their knowledge with those that haven't had the opportunity before.
 
"It's good to have the seniors we do because they know the importance of this event and what it means to get here," he said. "They will hopefully show, through role modeling, that there isn't much room for error and that we need to play our game. We need to play as a team unit and contribute in each of our roles both on and off the court."
 
Thursday, Feb. 26 vs. Georgian Grizzlies (1 PM) - Redeemer University
Web Stream: http://www.sportscanada.tv/ocaa/index.php/redeemer-royals
 
Championship Tickets
Day 1 & 2 - February 26 & 27, 2015
General Admission - $8
Kids 12 and Under – FREE
 
Day 3 - February 28, 2015
General Admission - $10
Kids 12 and Under – FREE
 
SPECIAL TOURNAMENT PRICING
General Tournament Pass - $20
Redeemer Student Tournament Pass - $20 + Championship T-Shirt
Alumni Tournament Pass - $15
*Tickets are available at the door prior to each game or in advance at the Redeemer Athletic Centre
 
Regular Season Records
Durham (Fifth Place)
Overall: 13-5
Home: 8-1
Away: 5-4
Playoff Crossover Match: 3-2 W @ St. Clair
 
Georgian (First Place)
Overall: 16-2
Home:  9-0
Away: 7-2
Clinched OCAA Championship position with first in east division
 
Regular Season Meetings
@ Georgian L 3-1
@ Durham W 3-0
 
TOP SCORERS
Jessica Broad 3.4 PTS/S
Hannah Campbell 3.4 PTS/S
 
TOP BLOCKERS
Melissa Semeniuk 32 BS (.60)
Hannah Campbell 44 BS (.69)
 
DIG LEADERS
Kayla Donahue 126
Alexandra Roy 146  
 
LAST YEAR IN THE PLAYOFFS
Georgian 5^th place at OCAA Championships
Durham 7^th place at OCAA Championships
 
Women's Tournament Schedule
Day 1 - February 26
1:00 PM - Game 1: Durham Lords vs. Georgian Grizzlies
3:00 PM - Game 2: Cambrian Golden Shield vs. Niagara Knights
6:00 PM - Game 3: Sheridan Bruins vs. Humber Hawks
8:00 PM - Game 4: Redeemer Royals vs. Trent Excalibur
 
Day 2 - February 27
1:00 PM - Game 5: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
3:00 PM - Game 6: Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4
6:00 PM - Game 7: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
8:00 PM - Game 8: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4
 
Day 3 - February 28
9:00 AM - Bronze Semi-final 1: Loser Game 7 vs. Winner Game 6
11:00 AM - Bronze Semi-final 2: Loser Game 8 vs. Winner Game 5
3:00 PM - BRONZE: Winner of Bronze Semi 1 vs. Winner of Bronze Semi 2
5:00 PM - GOLD: Winner of Game 7 vs. Winner of Game 8