varsity news

Durham Lords Media Release
Thursday, December 04, 2008

DC Volleyball – Hottest Teams in Ontario!!!

Oshawa, Ont. – Heading into the holiday break, the Durham College men’s and women’s volleyball teams are on fire as they have both won six straight conference matches and are soaring up the OCAA rankings charts!

The teams head into the 2009 portion of their schedule with a lot of optimism, with their sights set on the 2009 OCAA Provincial Championships which will be hosted by Durham College, from February 27-28, 2009.

After looking inconsistent to start the season, Gord Williamson’s squad has pulled it all together and has knocked off some of the top teams in the province. With six straight wins to close out 2008, the Lords have compiled a conference record of 7-2, with a 13-5 overall record. The green and gold sit in second place in the East Region standings, trailing the Algonquin Thunder by just four points and the Lords have a game in hand. Durham is currently ranked fourth in the provincial top ten rankings, their highest position on the year.

Leading the charge for DC is outside hitter and team captain Jamie Mayer (Penetanguishene, Ont.). In his third year with Durham, Jamie leads the team in most offensive categories including kills, serving aces and points. His impressive points per game average is 3.71 which ranks him third in the East Region.

The women’s volleyball team suffered a huge setback to start the season after having to forfeit three of their first four games of the season due to OCAA policies and procedures. Since then, first year head coach Shane Christopher has guided the team through the adversity as they have gone on to win six straight conference games to improve their record to 6-4 and their overall record to 9-6. They are now right behind the divisional leaders with ten games remaining to be played in 2009 prior to the OCAA post-season. Durham is ranked sixth in the OCAA top ten rankings.

Helping turn the season around for the Lords are veterans Mandi Doris (Ajax, Ont.), Kristen Conner (Oshawa, Ont.) and Amanda Falzon (Whitby, Ont.). The big three make up a very intimidating offensive trio for Lords. Doris leads the team in blocks with 39 on the year, which is tops in the OCAA. Doris has now increased her career total to 115 blocks, as she is fourth all-time in OCAA career blocks, only 15 behind Megan Stacey of Nipissing University for third place on the charts. Look for history to be made in 2009 as Doris has her sight set on the record of 147. Conner currently leads the team in kills while Falzon leads the team in serving aces.

Both teams looked poised to continue their winning streaks well into 2009. The teams hope to continue their thrilling runs right up to the OCAA Provincial Championships. The men’s team will begin the new year at the Fleming College Invitational through January 2-3, but both teams will be back on home court when they take on the Seneca Sting on Thursday, January 8, 2009. The women’s game will be at 6 p.m. and the men will play at 8 p.m. at the CRWC.

- 30 -

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Scott Dennis
Sports Information and Marketing Coordinator
Durham College and UOIT Athletics
905.721.2000 Ext. 2784 (P)
905.721.3117 (F)

Darryl Hand – Sports Information