February 4, 2026 

HAMILTON, ONT: The Niagara College men's volleyball team (7-8) travelled across the QEW to take on the Mohawk Mountaineers (9-6) in a Wednesday evening matchup.  The trip did not go as planned for the Knights as they unfortunately were not able to get anything going and suffered a 3-0 loss (set scores were 21-25, 20-25 and 21-25). 

The Knights came into this match hoping to continue their winnings ways, however, ran into a tough Mountaineers squad that refused to allow Niagara to build up any type of momentum throughout the match.  After trading points early in the first set, the Knights weren't able to capitalize on a slight lead as Mohawk battled back to take a close 1st set.   The second set was like the first, as both teams would trade lead changes throughout the set.  The Knights fell behind in the middle of the set and weren't able to build up enough steam for the comeback, as they found themselves down 2-0.  In the third set, the Knights were put onto their heels as the Mountaineers were able to take an early lead.  After clawing back twice to get within a few points of Mohawk, the Knights weren't able to find that extra push and eventually took the 3-0 loss.  Riley Orr led the way for the Knights as he put up 9 points on 6 kills, 2 digs, 2 blocks and 1 service ace.  Sam Pynn, Sam Guzak and Jack Drummond combined for 18 points on 16 kills, 2 blocks and 2 digs on the night, while Taiten Stifter contributed 7 digs to go along with his 22 assists. 

"The guys came out strong tonight but a lack of discipline, combined with playing tentatively, really put us in a hole consistently," said Steve Stone, head coach of the Niagara Knights.  Stone continued to say "when they play with purpose and confidence, it's a different team but I think tonight we just couldn't piece everything together.  We'll work on a few things over the next couple of days and be prepared to compete against the (St. Clair) Saints." 

Niagara will be looking to finish the season on a positive note as they will host the St. Clair Saints (8-7) Saturday afternoon for a matchup that has big implications in the standings - the game is scheduled to begin at 5pm at the Simplii Financial Athletic Centre at the Welland Campus.  If you aren't able to catch the action in person, be sure to tune into OCAA Live so you don't miss anything. 

For more information on the Knights' teams, please visit us at www.goknights.ca.