FREDERICTON, N.B. - The No. 6 nationally ranked Durham College men's volleyball team had their season come to an end following a 3-1 loss to the CCAA national championship host St. Thomas Tommies on Friday afternoon in Fredericton. Set scores were 18-25, 25-20, 24-26, 22-25.
The national championship event continued play amid extended COVID-19 precautions which saw no fans or spectators permitted inside the playing venue. In addition, the normal placement matches were also canceled, seeing Durham's trip to Fredericton come to an end following their second loss of the tournament in the bronze quarter-final.
The Lords were slow out of the gate in the Friday afternoon outing, but once they found a groove in the second set DC were able to bounce back to even the match 1-1. However, a back-and-forth third set, which extended into extra points, saw momentum fully swing in favour of the host Tommies. 17 service errors from the Lords over the four set match proved critical, especially in the tight third and fourth sets, while injuries to two Lords starters took away any additional relief for DC.
Despite the loss, the Lords completed an incredible turnaround season. After finishing with a 2-16 regular season record a year ago, DC finished first in the OCAA east division with a 16-2 record in 2019-20, were nationally ranked in the CCAA Top 15 throughout the season, received six total provincial awards, and claimed OCAA silver. With a strong young nucleus set to return for 2020-21, the green and gold look to have set themselves up as a contender for seasons ahead.
• Earning player of the match honours, OCAA all-rookie
Rouzbeh Rahnavard (Richmond Hill, Ont.) led the Lords with a team-high 16.5 points from 15 kills, one service ace, and one block assist.
• Both
Tristan Swinden (Whitby, Ont.) and
Will Hart (Erinsville, Ont.) also reached double-digit points for the Lords in the four set match, with Swinden finishing with 11 kills, one service ace, and three block assists, while Hart added 10 kills and an ace.
• Christian Christie and Adam McDougall led the Tommies, registering 19.5 and 16.5 points respectively.
• Lords setter and CCAA All-Canadian
Liam Gray (Barrie, Ont.) tallied 40 assists, while adding 5.5 points himself to the offence.
• DC libero
Lucas Pichl (Cobourg, Ont.) was put to the test, finishing the afternoon with a game-high 16 digs defensively.
• Henry Doucet recorded 38 assists as the STU setter, while Nathan Brown notched a team-high 14 digs on the defensive end of the court.
Overall Record: 29-12 (W-L)
Conference Record: 16-2
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