Soaring power Paul Kemboi looks to get his team back on track.
photo by j.r rydell
Sports Reporter
OTTAWA – The men’s volleyball team got knocked out of the playoffs last weekend and with a new post-season format, failed to advance to the OCAA championships.
The Hawks straight-set loss – 25-20, 25-14, 25-19 – to the hometown Algonquin Thunder left players and coaches disappointed about their performance.
Coach Wayne Wilkins said the pivotal moment in the match was when his team surrendered a 20-19 lead in the opening set.
“Losing the first set changed the momentum, and we went into the second set and didn’t show up,” he said. “Our performance was inconsistent, which really summarizes our season.”
Co-captain Paul Kemboi was disgusted about a member of the home-court crowd being used as a line judge after an official failed to show up for the match.
“This is the playoffs,” he said. “You can’t have someone like that officiating.”
Wilkins criticized the OCAA for only allowing the top four teams in the province to travel to Durham College for this weekend’s finals.
“This is the first year they changed the format,” he said. “It used to be the final eight teams and even if you lost your first match, you still had a chance at a bronze medal.”
Last year, a veteran team finished third in the province. This year, seven rookies took the court each night, and four were starters.
“This is a great group of guys,” said Kemboi, “and if we did this well this year with four rookies starting, then next year when they are vets we should annihilate.”