Falcons Fall in Four Sets to Humber

(London, ON) – The Fanshawe women's volleyball team (8-4, 5th West) took on the Humber Hawks (9-2, 2nd West) in a pivotal battle for second place in the OCAA West Division on Sunday afternoon at the Glenn Johnston Athletic Centre. The Falcons fell just short in front of the hometown crowd, dropping the match three sets to one in a hard-fought battle.

The afternoon got off on the right foot for the Falcons, as they opened the first set on a 7-3 run. Fanshawe displayed impressive defensive play early in the match, highlighted by Carly Melo (Acton, ON), who has grown into her role with the Falcons in the new year. Melo finished the afternoon with 10 digs, marking her second match with double-digit digs this week. Capitalizing on Humber's early mistakes, Fanshawe took the opening set 25-23.

In the second set, the Falcons and Hawks continued to trade points in a close contest until Humber went on a mini-run in the middle of the frame to build an 18-10 lead. The resilient Falcons mounted a comeback to tighten the score to 23-17, but the push came too late as the Hawks closed out the set 25-19.

From there, the always-strong Humber squad found its stride and stifled the Falcons' offence in the third and fourth sets. Despite some strong individual performances from Fanshawe, including a four-block effort from Jillian Lancaster (London, ON), the Falcons were unable to replicate the success they found in the opening set. Humber claimed both the third and fourth sets by identical 25-16 scores to take the match 3-1.

The Falcons will now have a brief break before returning to action at Fanshawe's Falcons Fest on Saturday, January 24, at 6:00 p.m. against Sheridan (1-9, 9th West). Falcons Fest will feature a number of gameday activities and giveaways, including a watch party at Fanshawe's on-campus bar, The Out Back Shack.

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