Niagara College Jan. 13 sports report
The Niagara College Knights men’s volleyball team returned to action last Saturday with a 3-2 victory (25-21, 25-13, 22-25 and 26-24) over the visiting Mohawk Mountaineers.
Leading the way for the Knights were: Ashton Nieuwets with 17 points on 14 kills, 17 digs, three blocks and an assist; Wizdom Smith with 21 points on 12 kills, seven blocks, four digs and two service aces; and, Rowan Redekop with 19 points on eight kills, 10 blocks, five assists, four digs and one service ace.
The Knights also went 3-1 in a tournament they hosted.
“I think the boys are positioned well to make a big push this second half. They put in hard work over the break and have come back looking strong and ready to compete,” head coach Steve Stone said. “Everything we’ve done to this point has been good but now there’s a little more sense of urgency in our execution. The tournament we hosted was a great way to get the rust off and find our compete level again. Going 3-1 is nice but that’s never the big picture, just a small piece of the puzzle.”
Niagara, fifth in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association with a 7-5 record, is at Humber Wednesday before hosting Sheridan Saturday at 3 p.m.
“Both teams (men’s and women’s) are poised to make a medal run. That is and will remain the goal. Everything we do is big picture focused,” Stone said.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
Niagara’s women’s volleyball team (8-4) sits in third place in the OCAA West Division following a 3-1 win (25-21, 25-13, 22-25 and 26-24) last Saturday over the visiting Mohawk Mountaineers.
Topping the stat sheet for Niagara were: Natalie Little with 18 points on 12 kills, 11 digs, six blocks and one assist; Montanna Taylor with 13 points on six kills, 23 assists, 19 digs and seven blocks; Tess Kelly and Sam Cormier who combined for 22 points on 11 kills, 10 blocks, four digs, an assist and one service ace; and, Abbey Gooder with 12 points on four kills, 15 digs, four blocks, four service aces and three assists.
For her performance, Taylor was named Niagara College’s Female Athlete of the Week.
“The ladies are ready to take a stand and push the rankings a bit. With so many new faces incoming at the start (12 incoming athletes), there was a big learning curve but I think we’ve found what’s going to work for us and everyone is bought in,” Stone said. “The tournament was a great testament to our depth as we got to get everyone some touches and compete so we’re all battle tested and ready for the second half.”
Niagara is at Humber Wednesday before hosting Sheridan Saturday at 1 p.m.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
The Niagara Knights men’s basketball team opened the second half of the season last Saturday with a 77-74 road win over the Mohawk Mountaineers.
Top performers for Niagara were: Kadin Moore with 18 points, one assist, two steals and seven rebounds; Khayden Stewart with 14 points, four rebounds, four assists, seven steals and a block; and, Skylar Samuel with 10 points, four rebounds, two assists, one steal and a block.
For his efforts, Moore was named Niagara College’s Male Athlete of the Week.
“After a long holiday break of practising and skill development, our guys put together a well-rounded 40 minutes to secure our first win of the new year,” Niagara head coach Lequan Hylton said. “It’s the first time this year we had our full roster, healthy and ready to play. Our defence looked the best it has looked all season and second-year wing Kadin Moore stepped up big for us and hit some timely shots down the stretch helping us win the ball game.”
The Knights, who sit in fifth in the OCAA West with a 5-6 record, are at Sheridan Wednesday.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
The Niagara Knights women’s basketball team (9-1) remained tied for first in the OCAA West following a 66-61 road victory over the Mohawk Mountaineers last Saturday.
“It was good to secure a win in a hard-fought game. The first game back after a break can be tricky,” head coach Kimbal Mackenzie said. “I’m very proud of the team for their efforts and resolve.”
Helping Niagara record the victory were: Janee Harrison with 16 points, seven rebounds, one assist and three steals; Taryn Mitchell with 16 points, two rebounds, three assists and a steal; and, Aisja Strachan with 12 points, three rebounds, one assist and four steals.
Mitchell was named Niagara’s player of the game for her efforts.
“I’m very proud of our team for coming into this game with our heads high and ready to play despite being off for over a month,” Mitchell said. “We got right back into our groove even when it wasn’t pretty at times and we came out with an impressive, hard-working win.”
Strachan commented that it felt really good to be back on the court and into the swing of things.
“This game was a good challenge to start back up the season for us. Things were a bit shaky at certain points in the game and I felt like our mental (ability) was challenged throughout the entire game,” she said. “I’m very proud of us for showing growth in maintaining our composure and perseverance as this is something we have struggled with. Glad to be back and finish out the season strong.”
Niagara is at Sheridan Wednesday.
