OAKVILLE, ON - In the quarter-finals of the 2023 OCAA Women's Volleyball Championship, the Durham Lords knocked off the host Sheridan Bruins in straight sets to set up a semi-final rematch against the Mohawk Mountaineers.

Durham began the match hot, nearly doubling Sheridan's score as they approached the halfway mark of the first set. Trailing 11-6, the Bruins called their first timeout of the match in an effort to regroup.

Later in the set with the Lords sitting at 24 points, the Bruins over served the ball out of play and Durham came away with a 25-17 win in the opening frame.

The second set began as a tighter back-and-forth affair, with Sheridan even leading 8-7 early on. Durham found momentum and went on to an 18-12 lead, forcing the Bruins to use another timeout.

Coming out of the minute break, Sheridan hit the ball out of bounds on two consecutive plays and immediately called for another stoppage. This time, Sheridan came back on the floor after the timeout and would score five of the next six points in the set.

Despite initially shrinking the gap, the Lords battled to the set's finish line to win the second by a 25-18 score.

Durham refused to slow down in the third set, scoring the first seven points to take a big lead before Sheridan could get on the scoreboard again. Eventually, the Lords were back in double-digit lead territory as they went up 14-4.

Sheridan scored 10 more points but the Lords scored 11 and that would be enough to take the third and final set 25-14.

Katie Stewart (Gananoque, ON) was named the player of the match for the Lords. Stewart finished the night with six kills on 17 attempts, two digs and a blocked shot.

Jessica Joensen (Brooklin, ON) and Mia Hildebrandt (Winnipeg, MB) were both also major contributors offensively, with nine and six kills, respectively. Joensen also added a team-leading three aces, while Hildebrandt was tied for the team lead in blocked shots with Amanda Larsen (Toronto, ON) and Brooke Young (Chestermere, AB) with three.

As the plays cycled through Young, she registered 21 assists on the night. Joensen's four digs was the most on the team, with Jessie Anatol's (Ajax, ON) three not far behind.

With the win, the Lords will play the Mohawk Mountaineers for the first time in league play since the semi-finals of the 2022 OCAA Championship. The two sides did meet in pre-season action at the Niagara College Invitational in October, with the Lords winning in four sets.

The match will take place at Sheridan College's Oakville campus on Friday night at 8:00 PM. Fans can also watch live HERE.

OVERALL RECORD: 34-8
CONFERENCE RECORD: 17-1
NEXT MATCH: Friday, February 24, 2023 vs. Mohawk Mountaineers • 8:00 PM • Oakville, ON • OCAA CHAMPIONSHIP


Stay in the know regarding Durham College Athletics and follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Read Full Article