OCAA MEN'S VOLLEYBALL SEASON RECAP / PREVIEW

As we hit the halfway mark of the 2006-2007 Men’s Volleyball season we can see a battle brewing between the top two ranked provincial teams. The defending champion Mohawk Mountaineers have returned in fine form this season and look good to run a solid bid for a consecutive title. However as we enter the New Year the Mounaineers are ranked second in the province to the number one ranked Algonquin Thunder. The undefeated Thunder is looking for their third consecutive regional title and first championship title in almost thirty years. With a New year comes new energy and enthusiasm, 2007 looks to be an exciting year in OCAA Men’s Volleyball.

WEST REGION

With four teams within four points of first place the West Region is the most competitive region in the OCAA. The Redeemer Royals and Niagara Knights are currently tied for first place in the West Region with matching 4-1 records and eight points atop the leader board. Meanwhile the Fanshawe Falcons will look to gain some ground on the Royals and Knights in the New Year as they sit close behind in third with a 3-2 record and six points while the St. Clair Saints are 2-4 with four points and have played one more game then the other three teams. This region will certainly be interesting as the playoff race comes near.

Last year the Falcons enjoyed a great deal of success and won the West Region title.

Fourth-year right side Dave Berghout of Redeemer is having another exceptional year sitting on top of the West Region scoring race, averaging 4.24 PPG while Kevin Lewis of Niagara trails slightly by an average of 4.06 PPG.

CENTRAL WEST

In the Central West Region the Nipissing Lakers (4-2) and Mohawk Mountaineers (4-0) are battling it out at the top of the standings. The two teams are currently tied for first place with 8-points but Mohawk has two games in hand.

The defending champion Mohawk Mountaineers have been dominant this season posting an undefeated 4-0 record only dropping one set to the Lakers. The Mountaineers are on pace to secure their second undefeated season, back-to-back titles and their seventh championship title. Newcomer Jasmin Cull, a transfer student has made an immediate positive impact on the Mountaineer offence leading the team and the Central West Region in scoring with 5.77 PPG this year.

Jasmin Cull has secured a large lead in the Central West Region scoring race but if you ask a couple of Nipissing Laker teammates they may not agree with you. Eric Yung and Seamus Strutt of Nipissing are not too far behind in second and third with 4.20 and 4.10 PPG respectively.

EAST

Since their last championship title in 2003 the Loyalist Lancers have finished second every year in the East Region to the Algonquin Thunder. Entering the holiday break the Lancers have broken the trend and sit in first place atop the standings with a 6-1 record. Trailing the Lancers in second place is the Algonquin Thunder who jumped out of the gates quickly posting an undefeated 5-0 record and have two games in hand over the Lancers. The Thunder are looking to capture their fourth consecutive regional title and improve their bronze medal finish at last year’s championship.

Dan Lazenby of Loyalist leads the scoring race in the East Region averaging 4.36 PPG. Not far behind is a trio of players including Mathieu Gatien of La Cite (3.65 PPG), Quentin Skinner of Algonquin (3.43 PPG) and Bobby Tozer of Loyalist (3.41 PPG).

CENTRAL EAST REGION

Entering the break it looks like the Durham Lords are poised to take the Central East Region title for the third consecutive year as they are sitting in the top spot with a 6-2 record and twelve points. The Lords will be looking to capture their second championship title and improve from last year’s second place finish. Third-year left side Dave Crabbe who’s averaging 3.15 PPG this season leads the Lords.

The Seneca Sting trail the Lords with a 5-2 record and 10-points but have a game in hand. Seneca defeated the Lords in their first meeting this year 3-2 and when the season opens in January these two teams open their schedules against one another on January 17 at 8 p.m. in North York. The Sting is hoping to take the second match and climb the standings in the Central East.

JR Sapienza a third-year power from Seneca leads the Central East Region scoring race with 4.44 PPG this season while Douglas Neilson of Cambrian is close behind with 3.58 PPG and Dave Crabbe of Durham is at 3.15 PPG.

WATCH OUT FOR

The Fanshawe Falcons will look to turn things around in 2007. After going 3-0 to start the season the team fell behind losing two matches to the Niagara Knights to close out the first half of the season with a 3-2 record and sit third in the West Region. Even with the slow finish the Falcons have a great chance to improve in the West and challenge for a playoff spot. The Falcons will kick off in the New Year against St. Clair on January 24th at 8 p.m. Led by third-year Ted Bowcock (3.06 PPG) the Falcons are only two points away from the leaders in the West Region.

CHECKING THE RECORD BOOK……on the road to winning

- Dave Berghout of Redeemer is on pace to grab the top spot as the career leader in aces. He currently has 70 aces, good for third overall and needs 16 more to overtake Rich Vanderwier of Redeemer’s 86 set from 2002-2006.

- Jasmin Cull of Mohawk currently leads the Central West Region scoring race with 5.77 PPG. If Jasmin wins the title this will be the fourth consecutive year a Mohawk volleyball player wins the region scoring title.

UPCOMING EVENTS

- The OCAA Championships will be taking place from February 22-24 at Georgian College in Barrie, ON.