Fourteen games into the men’s volleyball season and perfection is still well and truly on the cards.
The Hawks are 14-0 on the season and are currently ranked first in the Ontario Colleges Athletics Association (OCAA) standings and third nationally.
After an away win at Redeemer University to begin 2025, the Hawks returned to the nest for a two-game home stand against division rival St. Clair Saints, from Windsor, on Jan. 11, and Niagara Knights from wine country on Jan. 15.
Humber’s pressure and power overwhelmed the opposition to come away with a three-set sweep ending the Saints' march into Toronto.
The Niagara Knights were next on the cards to try and were resolved to end the Hawks' run.
Led by opposite hitter Wizdom Smith, who tallied 13 kills in the game, Humber’s winning streak seemed to be in jeopardy.
Knight’s players matched the Hawks point-for-point. They even won two sets to force a fifth frame. It is for the Hawks a rare position to be in, being forced into a fifth frame only once this season, against St. Clair in November 2024.
With the perfect season on the line and the match tied 2-2, the Hawks banded together to bring down the Knights in a fifth-set victory.
Veteran head coach Wayne Wilkins said the performance against Niagara was not up to par with the team's play this season.
“Up until today, we controlled the pace of every match,” he said. “Niagara did an excellent job of pushing us off balance.
"We need to get back to practice and work on not letting the other team dictate the play of games,” Wilkins said.
Dictating the play in games has been commonplace for the Hawks, ranked top three in all offensive statistics. Compared to past seasons, this form of dominance is not out of the ordinary. The 2023-'24 men’s volleyball team finished the season 12-6, fifth in the OCAA west standings.
Far from unbeaten, but the offence's prowess was always visible. Besides Assists Per Set, Humber ranked among the top five in most attacking statistics, slightly below this season's performance. This trend is evident in all of Humber’s high-performing seasons in the last 15 years.
The Hawks have won seven OCAA gold medals, between 2010 and 2012, and from 2020 to 2024, and one national title in 2012 in the last decade and a half.
Although the records vary, the one variable all teams had in common was developing a peak offensive group, who usually find themselves among the top five in most attacking stats every year.
Former player, now assistant coach Chris Bowen said especially this season, the boys are using the other team’s offence to spark their own.
“We’ve had great defensive players in the past, but we focus so much on that block at the net that a lot of times the ball doesn’t get past it,” he said. “That being said, it has to be balanced and there has to be consistency.”
Consistency hasn’t been a problem for Humber, winning four straight provincial gold medals. This includes an almost perfect season in 2020, losing in the finals of the national tournament. Even with all the recent dominance and glory, a national gold medal has been the only downfall for the Hawks, unable to top the country since 2012.
Currently in its third unbeaten season of recent history, however fourth-year outside hitter Nathan Jager said the team isn’t focused on maintaining a perfect record.
“As much as I think that is a good goal for the team, our mindset isn’t on that,” he said. “It’s about our mindset going into each game. Our coach says the only team that can beat us is ourselves."
Many teams will try to disprove that statement as Humber continues in the last four games of the season. Their next game is in Conestoga against the Condors (9-5) on Saturday.
