With their recent victory at Falcons Fest, the Fanshawe men’s volleyball team are back in the win column, avoiding a three-game losing streak.

This comes after two recent losses including a 3-2 loss against Conestoga on Jan. 21 as well as a 3-2 loss against St. Clair on Jan. 24.

In their first loss against the Condors, the Falcons got off to an early lead. Zack Admans, Matt Stechnicki, and Jayden Crowther led the team early, each with great performances and flashy plays.

This would give the team a 25-22 victory in the first set before Conestoga would push back to even the game in the second set, with their own 25-20 win.

For the third set, Daniel Ridings and Tanner Paterson would shine, getting the team off to another early lead, before later falling behind. The team would keep things interesting with Admans recording a kill and scoring off a block in back-toback plays, then Ridings doing the same off a set from Stechnicki, but ultimately the team would lose the third set 25-23.

The Falcons would bring it to a fifth set after coming from behind with an early deficit in the fourth set, with Stechnicki helping to bring the team ahead to a 25-20 win.

In the final set of the match, the Falcons once again got off to an early 3-1 lead before falling behind. Crowther worked to slow the deficit, with multiple key kills in the match, but the Falcons were unable to bridge the gap from a 12-9 deficit, losing the set as well as the match.

Through this, Fanshawe led in the stats categories with a higher hitting percentage as well as more than double the amount of Conestoga blocks.

Another close loss against the St. Clair Saints later in the week would bring the team into Falcons Fest.

This is an event that sees four consecutive matches, where the men’s and women’s basketball teams as well as the men’s and women’s volleyball teams all battle on the same day, giving free food and free Falcon apparel to those in attendance.

The men’s volleyball team were the ones to end the event.

Niagara and their Knights would hope to send the Falcons into a three-game losing streak, but the Falcons would get the match going with a win. Ridings would start the game on the right note, scoring the first point of the match.

Various kills by Patterson would keep the momentum in Fanshawe’s favour, with Jack Vought helping to keep the team ahead, ultimately bringing them to a 25-21 victory.

The Knights would look to stay in the game though, getting the lead in the second set, but the Falcons evening it up after a 19-13 deficit. Niagara would take the set though, winning 27-25.

With an even match, Stechnicki and Crowther would look to control the game for the Falcons, leading to a 17-11 run and holding the Knights to just six more points, giving the Falcons their second set and a 25-17 win.

The fourth set was even between the two teams, with Niagara keeping up with the Falcons’ pressure. The set would ultimately be pushed forward by Paterson and Admans who created separation for the team, ultimately giving the Falcons a 25-18 win, as well as winning the match.

With just two games left in the season, the Falcons now look to create some momentum heading towards the provincial championships, with their sights set on nationals.