OCAA MEN'S VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SET TO BEGIN

TORONTO – The province’s Top 8 collegiate men’s volleyball teams are ready to compete for the title of best in Ontario. Seneca College’s Newnham Campus Gymnasium will be the site of The 2011 Adidas/VSP Sports OCAA Men’s Volleyball Championship Presented by Belair Direct which starts-off on Thursday, February 24 at 2 p.m. The Seneca Sting play their first game at 8 p.m. and the tournament wraps-up on Saturday, February 26 at 5 p.m. with the Gold Medal Game (See attached for complete Tournament Schedule). This weekend’s Championship Tournament features a strong field of contenders from the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA). The field includes: The Humber College Hawks (Toronto, Ont.), The Sheridan College Bruins (Oakville, Ont.), The Durham College Lords (Oshawa, Ont.), The Mohawk Mountaineers (Hamilton, Ont.), The Fanshawe College Falcons (London, Ont.), The Redeemer University College Royals (Ancaster, Ont.), Nipissing University Lakers (North Bay, Ont.) and the host Seneca Sting (Toronto, Ont.).

Senecans can support the 2011 Adidas/VSP Sports OCAA Men’s Volleyball Championship live in-person or on the web. With in-game entertainment produced by students from Seneca’s Event Marketing Management program, fans can expect to enjoy great volleyball action on-the-court and during intermissions. From a performance by the Toronto Argonauts Dance Team to giveaways including Toronto FC VIP Tickets and an XBOX 360™ Gold Medal Game Draw, the tournament will showcase the talents of the industry’s future event planners. Fans looking to attend the tournament can visit the Newnham Gymnasium and purchase tickets. Ticket prices are set at the following rates: Children Under 12 - Free, Seneca College Students - Free (with Seneca Student ID), Student Day Pass - $2.00/per day, Student Tournament Pass - $5.00, Student Tournament Pass w/ T-shirt - $10.00 (supplies limited), Adult Day Pass - $5.00/per day, Adult Tournament Pass - $10.00, Adult Tournament Pass w/ T-shirt - $15.00 (supplies limited).

Those unable to attend the Championship can access live streaming webcast coverage of the tournament, produced by Seneca’s esteemed School of Communication Arts, via www.SenecaSting.ca/2011Volleyball and follow news, results, photos and video by ‘Liking’ www.Facebook.com/SenecaSting and following www.Twitter.com/SenecaSting throughout the event.

The 2011 Adidas/VSP Sports OCAA Men’s Volleyball Championship Presented by Belair Direct features three teams ranked in the top-15 in the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA) men’s volleyball rankings: The Sheridan Bruins (No. 4), the Humber Hawks (No. 8) and the Nipissing Lakers (No. 13). The Bruins finished the regular season as the second seed in the OCAA’s West Region with a record of 15-3. The Hawks finished the regular campaign with an identical 15-3 record finishing as the No. 1 seed in the West Region, winning that region’s Championship title, while The Lakers finished the year 12-6 as the fifth seed in the West. The remainder of the Championship field is equally impressive and includes: The Durham Lords, who finished 16-2, with the best record in the OCAA, claiming the East Region Championship. The Fanshawe Falcons were the No. 3 seed in the West Region and finished with a record of 13-5, while The Mohawk Mountaineers ended their season with a 12-6 mark and finished as the fourth seed in the West. The Championship field continues with the sixth seeded Redeemer Royals, 8-10 on the OCAA season, who enter the tournament via a one-game elimination playoff victory over the Loyalist Lancers. Finally, the host Seneca Sting, who finished with a 14-4 record on their regular season and enter the OCAA Championship as the East Region’s No. 2 seed, close-out the roster of teams competing at the tournament.

The 2011 Adidas/VSP Sports OCAA Men’s Volleyball Championship Presented by Belair Direct includes some of the OCAA’s men’s volleyball statistical leaders. Seneca’s Jason Hernandez, a Fire Protection Engineering Technology student from Harrow, Ont., was the league leader in kills with 257, while Durham’s P.J. Cornelius of London, Ont. was second with 240 kills after 18 games. Meanwhile, Cornelius and Hernandez were tied for the league lead in points with 296 respectively.

The 2011 Adidas/VSP Sports OCAA Men’s Volleyball Championship Presented by Belair Direct is the 44th edition of this tournament. In 2010, the competition was hosted by the Redeemer Royals and was won by the Humber Hawks as they defeated the Sting in the Championship Final. Seneca has won a silver medal in their last two OCAA Men’s Volleyball Championships.

Source: Seneca College