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Not much of a close shave for Gillett and company in intracity OCAA VB match
2025-02-01
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The Cambrian Shield men's volleyball team had not lost a match in January coming into their mid-week intra-city battle at Collège Boréal last Wednesday.

The Vipères had not won a match all month.

Needless to say, local bookies remained quiet as Cambrian did as expected, sweeping past Boréal, 25-18, 25-11, 25-17.

With several newcomers getting plenty of action, the top of the Shield kill list included the likes of Cale Bast (8 kills), Conor Dorsey (6), Liam Hansen (4) and Cohen Gillett (4).

"We've been pretty good for longevity (this year), but some of our players are starting to get a bit more tired, which is why there is an advantage to this Boréal game and getting a chance to rest some starters," noted Gillett, a native of Chatham and first year business student at Cambrian.

The right-side hitter who suited up with SKY Volley in Windsor the past few years on the OVA club circuit lost some time to injury in the opening half of the 2024-2025 campaign as he gradually acclimatizes to that next level of volleyball.

"The difference between kids in high-school and men in the OCAA (Ontario Colleges Athletic Association) is a big jump," said Gillett. "I used to just go up and hit the ball as hard as I could - which worked well there but doesn't work against grown men."

"Now, you need to know if the block is stopped or still moving," he added. "When they are fading away and trying to block you, it's a lot easier to aim for their hands. They're not a stable block. That's usually what I look for."

"But if it's a really big block and I can't go over top, I throw at their pinkies and hope for the best."

With the win, Cambrian improved to 12-4, currently trailing only the Humber Hawks (16-2) and Fanshawe Falcons (13-4) and closing out their regular season at home with matches on Saturday against the Sheridan Bruins (3-13) and Niagara Knights (8-8).

Boréal (0-16) are simply looking to either hit the win column or even add to their total of two set victories to date in 2024-2025.

Also safely through to post-season play, the Cambrian women's team also swept past the Vipères, 25-18.25-14, 25-20.

A well-balanced Shield attack featured Taylor Vaillant with six kills and the trio of Mikayla Tremblay, Abby Laporte and Gillian Clarke with four each while Kendra Rochefort (three kills - two digs) and Jayme Landry (four service aces) were among the top producers for the home side.

With their record of 8-8, Cambrian still has hopes of overtaking the Mohawk Mountaineers (9-8), though both the Redeemer Royals and Fanshawe Falcons are right on their tail at 8-9 in a very tight OCAA West Division playoff race.

Crossover qualifying games are set for February 8th & 9th with the league quarter-finals scheduled to take place a week later, on February 15th & 16th.

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