The Fanshawe’s men’s volleyball team is officially headed for the OCAA championships, with the gold medal on their minds.

Their push began with the men punching their ticket to the quarter finals after defeating the Canadore Panthers.

The team would start strong, taking the first set 25-17 thanks in part to Daniel Ridings who had five kills and one ace in the set. The team would face more of a challenge in the second, getting off to a slow start, but finding a way to catch up and get ahead 24-21. The team wasn’t able to hold on though as they would drop the set 26-24.

In the third, the Falcons would dominate, getting ahead and gaining a large lead that the Panthers couldn’t catch up to, with the Falcons taking the set 25-10.

The team then held onto the momentum, defeating the Panthers 25-22 in the fourth set, taking the match as well. The Match was highlighted by Daniel Ridings and Zack Admans, who each recorded 15 points, with Tanner Paterson recording 14 points, and Matt Stechnicki managing 37 assists.

At the quarter finals, the men would need to make it past the third ranked Algonquin Wolves to land a spot in the OCAA championships.

The match would get started quickly for the Falcons with Paterson getting the team on the board early and the team getting an early 6-4 lead.

The team would keep the pressure going thanks to back-to-back aces from Jayden Crowther along with a decisive block from Admans, helping the Falcons to take the first set 25-17.

In the second, the Wolves would gain momentum early, with the two teams going back and forth throughout much of the set.

The Falcons would break ahead though, with Alain Pineault recording a kill as well as a block to help the Falcons gain a 19-15 advantage. The team would end the match on an 8-4 run to close it out, securing the second set 25-17.

In the third set, the Falcons would start strong, taking an early 4-1 advantage. Algonquin was able to battle back though, able to get ahead with a five-point lead. The rest of the set was back and forth between the two teams, with the two teams sitting tied at 23-23. The Falcons would battle it out, ultimately able to get ahead of the Wolves, taking both the set and the match 25-23.

Thanks to their performances, third-year middle Jayden Crowther, along with third-year outside hitter Tanner Paterson, have been named as OCAA All-Stars.

Crowther has been named to the OCAA West Division First Team All-Star after leading the Falcons in blocks as well as accumulating 110 kills and 171 points in 17 matches. As well, he recorded a .364 hitting percentage and finished fifth in the OCAA with 0.73 blocks per set.

Paterson led the team with 3.02 kills per set along with 101 digs on the season, helping him to be named to the OCAA West Division Second All-Star Team. He ultimately contributed to 190 kills on the season, finishing with the third most in the OCAA West Division.

The Falcons now advance to the OCAA Championship which will be held from February 23-25.