Three months ago the Redeemer Royals opened on the road at Humber College, losing 3-2 in a thrilling match between the two volleyball powerhouses. Last night, round two took place, and it did not disappoint. The venue was different as this time the Hawks had to compete in the noisy confines of the Redeemer gymnasium, but unfortunately for the Royals, the result was the same.
In an incredibly competitive and entertaining match, the Hawks escaped Ancaster with a 3-1 victory. Set scores were 23-25, 25-19, 27-25, and 26-24.
After the Royals took a tight first set, the Hawks were able to run off the next 3. Humber controlled most of the 2nd set to even the score at 1-1. The 3rd and 4th sets had a different feel, as the Hawks and Royals went back-and-forth. Both teams went point-for-point for most of the night. A run by one team was almost always followed up by a run by their opponent. Both of the final two sets needed extras as only 6 points separated both teams in 3 of the 4 sets.
The match, however, was not without some controversy. Both the third and fourth sets finished with calls that were questioned by the Royals coaching staff and by the loud boisterous fans. In the critical third set, the Royals came all the way back from being down 15-4, only to lose on an out call the refs seemed to be unsure of. In the 4th, the Hawks took the set after a ball appeared to hit the roof on the visitor's side.
Despite the challenging end to both final sets, the Royals will need to turn their focus to Saturday when they hit the road to St. Clair to battle the Saints in Windsor.
For Redeemer,
Linden Bontkes continued his hot streak, leading all scorers with 19 kills and just 3 errors. Bontkes added an ace and two blocks to finish with 22 total points.
Brayden Stoffers added 14 points while Dan Wolfert and
Jason Wildeboer shared setting duties, finishing with 20 and 13 assists respectively.
Rafael Hilario paced the Hawks with 27 total points tallying 10 aces.
