OCAA WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL QUALIFIER PREVIEW

TORONTO - The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) women's volleyball regular season is now in the rear view mirror. For the dozen teams that have advanced to the post-season, it is now one-and-done time as a single loss will mean elimination from gold medal contention.

The top two teams in each region get a well-deserved sabbatical as they have earned automatic entry into the OCAA Women's Volleyball Championships, being hosted by Georgian College from Feb. 23-25. West regional champion Humber (18-0), East champion Cambrian (19-1), along with Fanshawe (15-3) and Algonquin (14-6) now await their quarter-final opponents.

For the rest of the teams, a sudden death qualifier is all that stands in the way of a berth to the OCAA championship tournament, and the off-season. The third and fourth place teams in each region host the sixth and fifth place teams from the opposite region, respectively.

Sheridan (8-10, 5th West) at Trent (13-7, 4th East)
Saturday, Feb. 18 - 3 p.m.

Sheridan and Trent were both in the OCAA tournament last season. This season, only one will earn an invite.

Sheridan had to play its way into the qualifier, needing a 3-2 (25-16, 25-23, 21-25, 11-25, 15-13) win over Redeemer in its regular season finale to earn a post-season berth. The Bruins had lost four straight prior to the victory.

Second-year right side Melissa Cappelletti (Cambridge, Ont.) leads Sheridan with 222 points, 159 kills and 26 blocks. First-year left side Hannah Hubicki (Port Hope, Ont.) tops the Bruins with 46 aces.

Trent had a similar ending to the regular season, losing four of its last five. First-year middle Sarah MacLaren (Renfrew, Ont.) leads the Excalibur with 196 points and 49 blocks. Third-year left side Rebecca Van Staalduinen (Peterborough, Ont.) has a team-high 127 kills, while fourth-year teammate Emma Schlegl (Ardrossan, Alta.) contributed 42 aces to lead the Excalibur.

Trent had a 7-3 home record compared to Sheridan's 3-6 mark on the road. The winner of this qualifier faces Humber in the OCAA quarter-finals.

Conestoga (7-11, 6th West) at Georgian (14-6, 3rd East)
Saturday, Feb. 18 - 7 p.m.

Georgian knows its has home court advantage for the remainder of its OCAA schedule. Its immediate goal is to make it last more than one match.

Georgian ended the regular season on a four-game win streak, winning six of its last seven. A reversal of fortune in either of its five-set losses to Algonquin would have given Georgian an automatic bye to the championship. The Grizzlies now have to go through Conestoga to earn a berth.

Georgian has a strong home record of 7-3. Second-year middle Hannah Campbell (Midland, Ont.) leads the Grizzlies with 201 points, 47 blocks and 40 aces. Third-year setter Natalie Buck (Keswick, Ont.) is Georgian's kills queen with 130 to her credit.

Conestoga has advanced to the playoffs in just its second OCAA women's volleyball season following a long absence. The Condors began the 2012 portion of their schedule 3-0, but lost five of six to end the season.

First-year left side Tiffany Pinksen (Kitchener, Ont.) leads Conestoga with 139 points and 103 kills. Second-year setter Sarah Tosh (Moffat, Ont.) has contributed a team-high 40 aces, while second-year middle Julia Struyf (Thedford, Ont.) is the team blocks leader with 16.

Conestoga won more games on the road (5) than at home (2) in 2011-12. The winner of this qualifier faces Fanshawe in the OCAA quarter-finals.

Loyalist (12-8, 6th East) at Nipissing (14-4, 3rd West)
Sunday, Feb. 19 - 12 p.m.

Loyalist and Nipissing were also at the OCAA tournament last season. Nipissing in fact has been in the last six OCAA finals, making this qualifier a daunting task for Loyalist.

The Lancers have a 5-5 record on the road, but have lost three straight. First-year left side Jenny Richardson (Oshawa, Ont.) leads Loyalist with a statistical output of 229 points and 187 kills. Second-year middle Leanne Jeffs (Stirling, Ont.) is Loyalist's blocks leader with 38, while fourth-year teammate Kirsten Talsma (Kirby, Ont.) has contributed a team-high 46 aces.

Nipissing has won five out of its last six games, but its 3-1 (25-21, 25-21, 9-25, 25-20) loss at Fanshawe earlier this month cost them an automatic bid to the OCAA tournament. Fourth-year middle Lucia DeMarco (North Bay, Ont.) is the Nipissing team-leader in four offensive categories, including points (196), kills (126), blocks (40) and aces (30). First-year player Brittany Ardron (Lakefield, Ont.) also contributed 30 aces.

The winner of this qualifier faces Algonquin in the OCAA quarter-finals.

Seneca (13-7, 5th East) at Niagara (10-8, 4th West)
Sunday, Feb. 19 - 1 p.m.

With the exception of undefeated Humber, no OCAA team has a longer win streak than Seneca entering the post-season. The Sting at one point looked destined to match their 2010-11 record of 6-14, but wins in their last eight matches propelled Seneca to a post-season berth. It also handed Cambrian its only loss of the regular season.

First-year player Kimberly Cedros (Toronto) leads Seneca with 211 points, 160 kills and 41 aces. Second-year middle Mariah Johnson (Sarnia, Ont.) earned a team-high 49 blocks for the Sting.

Like Seneca, Niagara did not make the post-season in 2010-11, improving on a 10-12 record. The Knights won five of their last seven matches to finish their season strong.

Second-year outside hitter Lindsay Murray (Welland, Ont.) leads Niagara with 237 points, 186 kills and 36 aces. Third-year middle Marieka Ouimette (Spencerville, Ont.) has contributed a team-high 48 blocks.

Niagara had a sub-par record at home (4-5) while Seneca was .500 on the road (5-5). The winner of this qualifier faces Cambrian in the OCAA quarter-finals.

- OCAA -

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