OCAA WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW

BARRIE, Ont. - Georgian College in Barrie, Ont. plays host to the 2012 Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Women's Volleyball Championship, beginning Thursday and running through Saturday.

Eight teams will vie for the OCAA title, including the host Georgian Grizzlies and four-time defending champion Humber Hawks.

A total of 12 matches will be played in a span of three days. Following the OCAA awards banquet at the Barrie Country Club at 8:30 a.m., the OCAA quarter-finals will take place on Thursday afternoon beginning at 1 p.m. Losing teams will compete in the bronze medal quarter-finals on Friday, followed by the OCAA semi-final matches. The bronze medal semi-finals and final will take place on Saturday leading into the OCAA gold medal match.

Fans who are unable to attend the matches live can follow the proceedings via webcast. Visit the championship website for further information.

The OCAA champion advances to the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Women's Volleyball National Championship, taking place in Nanaimo, B.C. next month.

Here is a look at the OCAA quarter-final match-ups:

Nipissing (14-4, 3rd West) vs. Algonquin (14-6, 2nd East)
Thursday, Feb. 23 - 1 p.m.

The OCAA tournament begins with a meeting between perennial bridesmaid Nipissing and rising power Algonquin.

Nipissing has reached the OCAA final in each of the past six seasons, with the Lakers last winning a championship in 2007. The Lakers needed a 3-0 (25-15, 25-11, 25-15) win over Loyalist at home in the qualifying round to advance to the OCAA tournament.

Fourth-year middle Lucia DeMarco (North Bay, Ont.) is the Nipissing team-leader in four regular season offensive categories, including points (196), kills (126), blocks (40) and aces (30). She contributed a game-high 17 points on 11 kills and six blocks in the playoff win over Loyalist.

Algonquin makes its return to the OCAA tournament following a two-year absence. The Thunder are led by third-year power Jori Armishaw (Ottawa) and her team-high 196 points and 141 kills. Armishaw and third-year setter Emily Graham (Winnipeg) were tied for fourth in the OCAA in aces with 45 each. First-year teammate Rachel Canavan (Whitby, Ont.) contributed a team-leading 35 blocks.

The last significant Nipissing-Algonquin meeting was in the OCAA semi-finals in 2009, which the Lakers won in straight sets. Nipissing settled for silver that year, while Algonquin earned bronze.

The winner of this quarter-final plays the winner of the Trent-Humber match.

Trent (13-7, 4th East) vs. Humber (18-0, 1st West)
Thursday, Feb. 23 - 3 p.m.

The Humber Hawks have won 22 straight matches in OCAA regular season and post-season play. They are looking to complete the first perfect OCAA women's volleyball season since Humber accomplished the feat in 2008-09.

Third-year middle Kelly Nyhof (Georgetown, Ont.) led Humber in three offensive categories during the regular season, totaling 213 points, 154 kills and 36 blocks. She averaged 4.3 points per set, good for third across OCAA. Fourth-year setter Nina Carino (Scarborough, Ont.) contributed a team-high 28 aces.

Trent needed a gut-wrenching 3-2 (17-25, 25-19, 23-25, 25-22, 16-14) home victory over Sheridan in a playoff qualifier to advance to the OCAA tournament. Trent fourth-year middle Sara Rettie (Newmarket, Ont.) earned a match-high 18 points on 11 kills, five blocks and two aces in the victory. First-year middle Sarah MacLaren (Renfrew, Ont.) had an impressive debut accumulating a team-high 196 points and 49 blocks during the regular season.

Humber is ranked No. 5 in CCAA, and have lost only six sets during the regular season. The last time the Hawks did not earn an OCAA medal was in 2002. Trent has never medaled at the OCAA tournament.

The winner of this quarter-final plays the winner of the Nipissing-Algonquin match.

Georgian (14-6, 3rd East) vs. Fanshawe (15-3, 2nd West)
Thursday, Feb. 23 - 6 p.m.

The hometown Georgian Grizzlies take a 8-3 home record into their quarter-final match with the Fanshawe Falcons.

Despite being OCAA tournament host, Georgian had to play its way into the tournament with a 3-0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-12) win over Conestoga in the qualifying round. Second-year middle Hannah Campbell (Midland, Ont.) led the Grizzlies with 201 points, 47 blocks and 40 aces during the regular season, and added eight more points to her totals in the victory over Conestoga.

Fanshawe only losses of the regular season came against Humber (twice) and Nipissing. Second-year player Kaitlyn Kelly (Waterloo, Ont.) is the top Falcon offensively with a team-high 254 points, 197 kills and 43 aces. Fanshawe is ranked No. 12 in the CCAA.

Fanshawe is looking to improve on its bronze medal finish last season. Georgian won its only OCAA medal in 1983 when it struck gold.

The winner of this quarter-final plays the winner of the Niagara-Cambrian match.

Niagara (10-8, 4th West) vs. Cambrian (19-1, 1st East)
Thursday, Feb. 23 - 8 p.m.

Cambrian flirted with perfection the entire regular season, losing its last match to Seneca in four sets. Despite the loss, Cambrian clinched their second straight OCAA East region title, and look to advance further than the quarter-final round where the Golden Shield lost to Fanshawe in four sets.

Two of the four OCAA players who averaged more than four points per set just happen to play for Cambrian. Fourth-year left side Shawna Metcalf (Azilda, Ont.) led the OCAA with a 4.6 points per set average, while fourth-year left side Kelsey Fielding (Sudbury, Ont.) contributed 4.0 points per set. The duo were the top teammates statistically in OCAA, contributing 288 and 262 points, respectively.

Niagara has been on a tear as of late, winning six of its last eight matches, including a 3-2 (25-21, 19-25, 16-25, 26-24, 15-13) win over Seneca in the qualifying round. Second-year left side Jenna Bray (Burlington, Ont.) had a monster match earning 20 points on 19 kills and one ace.

Before the recent success of Humber and Nipissing, Cambrian was a regular in the OCAA final, winning three titles in five years, its last coming in 2005. Niagara last earned an OCAA medal in 2003 when it lost to Cambrian in the final.

The winner of this quarter-final plays the winner of the Georgian-Fanshawe match.

OCAA WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE

Thursday, February 23
OCAA Awards Banquet - Barrie Country Club - 8:30 a.m.
Quarter-Finals
Game 1 - Nipissing vs. Algonquin - 1 p.m.
Game 2 - Trent vs. Humber - 3 p.m.
Game 3 - Georgian vs. Fanshawe - 6 p.m.
Game 4 - Niagara vs. Cambrian - 8 p.m.            

Friday, February 24
Bronze Quarter-Finals
Game 5 - Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 - 1 p.m.
Game 6 - Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 - 3 p.m.
Semi-Finals    
Game 7 - Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 - 6 p.m.
Game 8 - Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 - 8 p.m.

Saturday, February 25
Bronze Semi-Finals
Game 9 - Loser Game 7 vs. Winner Game 6 - 9 a.m.
Game 10 - Loser Game 8 vs. Winner Game 5 - 11 a.m.
Bronze Medal Match
Game 11 - Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10 - 2 p.m.
Gold Medal Match
Game 12 - Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8 - 4 p.m.

- OCAA -

ABOUT ONTARIO COLLEGES ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) is a recognized leader in intercollegiate athletics in the province, dedicated to student athlete and sport development. The OCAA has 31 members sponsoring 16 league and tournament championships.

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Josh Bell-Webster
Marketing and Communications
Ontario Colleges Athletic Association
Tel: 416-426-7041
Fax: 416-426-7308
E-mail: bell-webster@ocaa.com