January 11, 2025
WELLAND, ON: The Niagara Knights men's volleyball team (7-5) welcomed the visiting Mohawk Mountaineers (5-8) to the Simplii Financial Athletic Centre at the Welland Campus Saturday afternoon as they looked to begin the new year on the right foot. In a seesaw tilt that had 3 of the 5 sets go into extra points, the Knights came out victorious with a 3-2 win (set scores were 29-27, 27-29, 18-25, 25-20 and 21-19).
The Knights relied heavily on a team game as 12 members of the team took part in this match and saw 5 players score in double digits. Wizdom Smith, a 1st year opposite from Winnipeg, Manitoba, led the charge for the Knights putting up an astonishing 21 points on 12 kills, 7 blocks, 4 digs and 2 service aces. Not to be outdone, Ashton Nieuwets, the 4th year outside hitter, also posted a phenomenal stat line with 17 points on 14 kills, 17 digs, 3 blocks and 1 service ace. Middles Rowan Redekop and Riley Orr combined for 31 points on 14 kills, 12 assists, 2 service aces, 6 digs and 15 blocks.
"This was a tough battle to start the year off with but I'm proud of the guys for hanging in there and getting the job done," head coach of the Knights, Steve Stone, said. "They (Mohawk Mountaineers) showed a lot of grit and stayed in the game the entire way through, not really giving us a chance to catch our breath. Our guys trusted the game plan and performed the way they are capable of – putting balls away when they had their chances and keeping a lot of balls alive to give our offence the chance to do their jobs."
The Knights get set for two games this week – travelling to take on the Humber Hawks (13-0) on Wednesday, January 15th and hosting the Sheridan Bruins (3-10) on Saturday, January 18th. The home match will see the Knights take the court for a 3:00pm match at the Simplii Financial Athletic Centre at the Welland Campus.
For more information on the Knights teams, please visit us at www.goknights.ca.
