Falcons Stay Hot Against Cambrian

(London, ON) – The Fanshawe Falcons women's volleyball team (5-2) took on the Cambrian Golden Shield (4-3) Saturday afternoon at the Glenn Johnston Athletic Centre and came away with a thrilling five-set victory, extending their win streak to five games.

The first set was as back-and-forth as it gets, with neither team able to sustain a lead greater than three points. The Falcons' aggressive attack forced Cambrian into a number of mistakes, as the Golden Shield committed five errors in the opening frame. Fanshawe was able to withstand Cambrian's pressure and pulled out a 25-22 first-set win to set the tone early.

The second set featured more tight play and long, sustained rallies between the two sides. Long rallies were a theme all match, but fortunately for the Falcons, they came out on top of most of them in the second set and took a commanding two sets to none lead after a 25-19 win.

The match was far from over, however, as a resilient Cambrian squad responded in the third and fourth sets with impressive attacking play of their own. The Golden Shield took the third set 25-18 and stole the fourth 25-22 to force a fifth and deciding set.

Luckily for the Falcons, their front-line trio of Jillian Lancaster (London, ON), Autumn Mikel (Mitchell, ON), and Grace McLean (Dorchester, ON) came to play, finishing with 20, 16, and 14 points, respectively. Lancaster continues to soar this season, as her 20 points and 15 kills were both career highs. All three delivered clutch points in the fifth set to help Fanshawe close out Cambrian 15-9 and take the match three sets to two. The Falcons' strong attacking play was supported by standout setter Simone Pinsonneault (Gravelbourg, SK), who finished with a game-high 44 assists.

With the win, the Falcons have pushed their streak to five games and taken control of the fourth seed in the OCAA West Division as they continue to roll after a slow start to the year. Fanshawe will have a quick turnaround as they match up against the Boreal Vipers (0-7) tomorrow at 12:00 p.m. at the Glenn Johnston Athletic Centre.

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