Fanshawe's women's volleyball team started the year knowing they had to rebuild and focus on team chemistry to win, and the team is doing just that: they've started the year strong, playing in a Niagara Falls Tournament October 21 and placing third.

The women said they were playing very strong defense and their offence was on, with spiking and serving being game-changers throughout the tournament. They have started to come together as a team, focusing on each member's strengths. They said the competition is looking strong this year, but that isn't bringing them down because even with the fresh-faced team, they have still found the way to win.

With the near win at the Niagara tournament, the team is even more excited and geared towards a very strong year. They look strong on offence, but like all sports, defense wins games, so my hope is that they always keep the focus towards that.

The women played at Humber on October 28 and 29 for the Humber Cup tournament. The Falcons open the regular season with three road games beginning on November 3 at Redeemer, followed by games on November 5 at Humber and November 9 at Sheridan. The Falcons have their home opener on November 11 at 6 p.m. versus Mohawk in J-gym. Show your Falcon pride at all the home games and tournaments — you can find their schedules online at tinyurl.com/womensvball2011 or outside the Athletic Office.