Humber’s men’s volleyball team wins home opener on a special day

The Hawks men’s volleyball team won its home opener and held a special milestone ceremony on Nov. 1.

Men’s head coach Wayne Wilkins gathered with his family after the men’s game, including his brother Chris Wilkins, who coaches the women’s team. Players and alumni in attendance wore T-shirts featuring his face to highlight his 30th season with the Hawks. 

Reflecting on his future with the Hawks, Wilkins said he isn’t sure how long he will keep coaching, but he still feels the same passion as when he started.

“I've been asked this a number of times, [and] I don't ever know,” he said. “But I will say this, I love it. My heart is here.

“You know, as long as I can get out of bed and stay motivated to come into the hallways and push these guys, as long as they'll have me, I'll probably stay,” Wilkins said.

The ceremony highlighted the men’s game on Saturday night against the Redeemer Royals, with the Hawks winning four of the five meetings before the game.

Historically, this was Wilkins’s first team he faced at home in his inaugural season. The game ended with Humber winning a 3-0 set sweep on Nov. 9, 1995.

Before the game, Wilkins said he expected a tough match against the Redeemer.

“These guys always put out a great competitive team on the court,” he said. “We have to use the experience that we do have in our starting lineup, we have to use it to our strength.” 

“Stay disciplined, try not to get too high [or] too low and continue to use our strengths, and I think we’ll be fine,” Wilkins said. 

Humber took the lead in the first set with first-year outside hitter Enzo Endres getting the first kill of the game.

The Hawks maintained the lead throughout the game, holding a point or more over the Royals. 

Humber extended its lead to 19-12, prompting a timeout by the Redeemers. Players like Teyven Blackmore, Kyle Gray-Phillips and Endres played an important role in the team's seven-point gap. 

Redeemers would eventually bring the score closer, but it wasn’t enough for them to come back, as Humber won the set point after a Redeemer player committed a net violation.

The second set saw Humber fall behind in the early stage but eventually came back. It was another back-and-forth between the teams.

The Hawks would take the lead back against the Redeemers with Blackmore securing the set-point with a kill to win set two with a score of 25-18.

In the third set, Humber struggled to take the lead.

The Hawks would fight back in the near end of the set, but a possible comeback could not happen as the Royals took the win 25-22.

Falling short, Humber brought this momentum heading into the fourth set, taking the lead and increasing the gap to as high as seven points. The game would be sealed after a service fault from a Royal player, giving the Hawks their second win of the season.

After the game, Blackmore, who earned Player of the Match, said the team's message after the third set loss was to stay mentally strong and focused. 

“It was really just mental, a lot of it was the focus,” he said. “We go one, two points without scoring, or without siding out, and then we kind of get a little bit down in the dumps.

“It's just about remembering it's not done,” Blackmore said. “If you want to pick it up, it's just a choice.” 

For rookie player Endres, he recorded a career-high 19 points, with 16 kills, two service aces and nine digs.

“I think it was my best performance yet on this team,” he said. “[I] hope getting better every day.”

With the win, the Hawks are 2-1, sitting in sixth place in the OCAA Western Conference as of Nov. 5.

Humber will look to continue its winning momentum against the Conestoga Condors at home, who are 3-1.

Wilkins said the Condors will be a tough matchup for the Hawks.

“Big game, they always push hard against us,” he said. “I think we're going to get back to the drawing board and start, you know, making sure that we're ready and prepared for them.”

“The reality is that I know we're a good team, but they are too, and so as long as we stay disciplined and stick to our game plan, I'm confident we'll be successful,” Wilkins said.

Blackmore said the team plans to maintain its momentum heading into practice for next week's game.

“We'll carry it over to practice,” he said. “Keeping that energy that we had on the court in the practices, keeping the momentum, [and] making sure we're staying focused at times that we need.”

First serve is set to begin at 8 p.m. on Nov. 12.