Niagara College roundup Jan. 28
Volleyball player Jaydon Milne is this week’s Niagara College male athlete of the week.
The Toronto native started off his week with a bang, scorching the Conestoga Condors on Thursday night in a 3-2 win by smashing 23 kills. The second-year outside hitter also added two service aces in the win. Milne continued his impressive week when the Knights travelled to Fanshawe on Saturday afternoon, as he was the only Knight to record double digit points in the 3-0 loss. Milne finished the match with 10 points, all of which were kills.
Milne’s two-match total was 35 points (33 kills, 2 service aces) and 10 digs.
Milne and the men’s volleyball program will play their next match against the Mohawk Mountaineers when they host their division rival on Wednesday at 8 p.m.
FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Olivia Burnie of Orillia of the women’s volleyball program has been named the female athlete of the week.
Starting in both of the Knights matches, at home against Conestoga on Thursday night and at Fanshawe on Saturday afternoon, Burnie played terrific. Against the Condors, Burnie started off on fire registering seven kills in the first set as the Knights sailed to a 25-18 set win. She would carry that momentum through the next two sets helping her team to a 25-20 win in set two and a 25-19 win in the third and final set to secure a 3-0 victory.
Burnie finished the match with 17 points on 14 kills, two service aces and a block. The 14 kills were a career-high, surpassing the 12 kills she had against Conestoga back on Oct. 25. She was the only player on both sides of the court to finish the match with double digit points. To round out her impressive night, the rookie outside hitter also had seven digs.
In a 3-0 loss against the No. 5 ranked Falcons on Saturday, Burnie led the team in kills once again with eight while also recording five digs. Her two match total was 25 points (22 kills, 2 service aces, 1 block) and 12 digs.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
The Knights topped the Mohawk Mountaineers 101-93 Friday night.
With just two minutes left in the game, Niagara found themselves up 20 (92-72). Mohawk wasn’t ready to back down playing their best basketball of the night in the final two minutes, forcing the Knights into several turnovers thanks to some great full-court press defence. The Mountaineers would end up scoring 21 points in the final two minutes of the game.
Van Hutchinson Jr. led the team with 27 points and 15 rebounds while Jordon McDonald had another terrific game by scoring 16 points and adding 15 rebounds. Alex Elliott of Welland dropped 17 points while also registering four assists and five steals.
The Knights visit Sheridan Tuesday and host Lambton at 3 p.m.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
The women’s basketball topped the Mohawk Mountaineers 85-59 Friday night, playing arguably their best game of the season.
The Knights jumped out to a great start, scoring 29 points in the first quarter thanks to a 65 per cent shooting performance as a team.
Hannah Baker of Thorold scored eight points on a perfect 4-4 shooting performance in the first half while also securing three rebounds as her impressive first half helped the Knights to a 41-28 lead.
Bridget Atkinson of Welland would find her scoring touch in the fourth quarter, dropping 10 points on 4-4 shooting from the field and a pair of free-throws.
Atkinson led the Knights with 22 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals. Baker had her best shooting performance of the season as the second year guard shot 81.8% (9-11) from the field for 20 points. Rysa Delmundo of Niagara Falls scored 14 points while also contributing with two rebounds, two assists and two steals.
The Knights are at Sheridan Tuesday and home to Lambton Sunday at 1 p.m.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
The Knights split a pair of games, defeating Conestoga 3-2 and losing 3-0 at Fanshawe.
In the win over Conestoga, Milne led the way for the Knights by scoring 25 points (23 kills, two service aces). Micah Nieuwets of St. Catharines and Elijah Bugiardini both had double digit kills with 14 and 10, respectively. Ben Fillmore had 38 assists in the win while Robert Zalewski had 22 digs.
The Knights were unable to keep their win streak alive as the Falcons swept them 3-0 (26-24, 25-18, 25-19). Milne led the Knights again with 10 kills while Fillmore had 20 assists.
The Knights host Mohawk Wednesday at 8 p.m. and St. Clair Saturday at 4 p.m.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
The women’s volleyball team split a pair of games, defeating Conestoga 3-0 and losing 3-0 to Fanshawe.
The Knights would win all three sets against the Condors (25-18, 25-20, 25-19) to improve their record to 9-4. Burnie finished with a team high 17 points (14 kills, 2 service aces, 1 block) as she was the only player on both teams to record double digit points. She also added seven digs in the win. Niagara’s setter Melissa McFadden had 25 assists in the win.
The Knights travelled to Fanshawe on Saturday and lost (25-10, 25-19, 25-17).
Burnie led the Knights once again, scoring eight points on eight kills and adding five digs. Zeniah Pinnock had three kills and eight digs while McFadden had 15 assists.
The Knights are home to Mohawk Wednesday at 6 p.m. and St. Clair Saturday at 2 p.m.
LET’S TALK DAY
Mental health awareness will be served up at Niagara College on Jan. 30.
The NC Let’s Talk volleyball matches will be held in support of Bell Let’s Talk Day on Jan. 30 to honour and promote the nationwide awareness campaign around mental health and fighting stigma. The NC Knights volleyball programs will face off against the Mohawk Mountaineers, with the women’s match beginning at 6 p.m. and men’s at 8 p.m. The games are free for students and $5 for public admission. All ages are welcome.
Beginning at noon, activities for students in support of mental health will be held in the Let’s Talk Lounge at both the Welland and Niagara-on-the-Lake Campuses. The main events – held at the Welland Campus – are co-hosted by NC’s Athletics and Recreation, and Student Administrative Council (SAC). The Let’s Talk Lounge will take place in the lobby outside of The Shack at the Welland Campus. A Let’s Talk Lounge will also be set up at the NOTL Campus in the Glass activity room, N002, hosted by the NC Talks student club.
“Bell Let’s Talk Day is a cause we can all rally behind at Niagara College,” said Michele O’Keefe, associate director, Athletics and Recreation. “Conversations around support for mental health are at the forefront of our campus, and Athletics and Recreation is excited to work with SAC to create a friendly, barrier-free environment to foster dialogue that includes a volleyball double header in the evening. It will be a great day.”
The lobby of The Shack will be turned into the Let’s Talk Lounge with sofas and tables in the lead up to the game, a space for students to engage with campus and community partners on mental health resources. Staff from Counselling Services will be on-hand to meet students in an open, informal and comfortable setting. Free coffee will be served.
“Being responsive and proactive to the mental health needs of our students means ensuring support is visible and accessible to students. Events like these highlight the many resources available to students and encourages open dialogue – both of which help foster a positive learning environment for our students,” said Lianne Gagnon, director of Student Services.
The day’s events at Welland will include a visit from the Therapy Tails, a non-profit dog therapy program sure to boost spirits with their wagging tails and calming presence. In the days leading up to the event, students have been filling out thought bubbles with uplifting messages, words of wisdom, and affirmations for their fellow students. The thought bubbles will make up a large NC display to be showcased in the gym on game day.
On Bell Let’s Talk Day, Bell Canada will donate to mental health initiatives in Canada, by contributing 5¢ for every applicable text, call, tweet (#BellLetsTalk), social media video view and use of their Facebook frame or Snapchat filter. For more information about Bell Let’s Talk Day visit letstalk.bell.ca/en
Coverage of the Niagara Knights is made possible with the support of the Niagara College Department of Athletics & Recreation. For more information, please visit www.goknights.ca
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