February 4, 2026 

HAMILTON, ONT: The Niagara College women's volleyball team (8-7) took a quick trip up the highway to take on the Mohawk Mountaineers (5-10).  The Knights, who currently sit in 6th place in the OCAA West Conference, were able to put an end to their 2-game losing streak with a dominating 3-1 victory over the Mountaineers (set scores were 25-12, 25-15, 22-25 and 25-23). 

Starting the game off with an Abbey Gooder attack, the Knights took an early 7-1 lead in set one.  As they continued to build upon their lead, the Knights were able to keep Mohawk in check, on route to a 13-point set victory.  The second set found the Knights in the driver's seat, as they once again took an early lead that they would refuse to give up – this time taking the 10-point set victory and a commanding 2-0 set lead. In the third set, the Knights were looking to close things out early, but the Mountaineers had other plans in mind.  Having the Knights take another early lead, Mohawk was able to muster up a late surge as they tied things up at 20-20 – ultimately winning the 3rd set.  The fourth set was a back-and-forth affair as neither team wanted to give an inch – ending in a nail-biter win for the Knights as they were able to secure the 3-1 set win.  Amy Barlow led the charge for the Knights with 18 points on 15 kills, 2 digs, 2 service aces and 1 block.  Tess Kelly, Gooder and Kyleigh Baxter all scored in double digits, combining for 39 points, 12 digs, 4 blocks and 4 service aces.  Tia Kelly, had herself a match as she masterfully distributed the ball on her way to 40 assists, 9 digs and 1 point. 

Speaking with Sam Cormier, Niagara's 3rd year middle, after the game, she was "super proud of the girls and how hard they have worked to keep fighting, despite our loss last week."  Cormier continued to explain that the "girls have pushed so hard to keep putting action behind their words and where we believe we can finish at the end of the season.  I'm looking forward to hosting St. Clair this weekend and continuing to show our mental and physical strength on the court." 

Niagara will have a short turnaround as they get set to host the St. Clair Saints (13-2) on Saturday afternoon in their final home game of the season.  First serve is set for 3pm 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 a thing. 

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