A pair of York University Lions volleyball players captured gold medals in their respective divisions during the national championships at Ashbridges Bay in Toronto recently (Aug. 22 to 23).
Octavia Wong
Third-year setter Octavia Wong (Thornhill, Ont.) from the Lions women's team claimed the title alongside partner Tessa Davis, who competes for the University of Toronto, in the U22 division.
The duo needed the full three sets in four of their six preliminary matches to qualify for the playoffs. Once there, they posted come-from-behind victories in the quarter-finals and semifinals to reach the final, where they settled in and posted a 21-16, 21-12 victory.
Also winning a gold medal was five-year alumnus and current Lions men's volleyball assistant coach Felipe Humana-Paredes (Toronto), who picked up his first-ever national championship with partner Christian Redmond in the men's elite division. The pair defeated another five-year Lion, James Battiston, in the final.
The championship final was a close one, with Battiston and his partner, Michael
Felipe Humana-Paredes
Platinga, winning 21-15. However, Humana-Paredes and Redmond came back to take the second 21-18 and the third 15-13 for the win.
In the men's competitive division, alumnus Dallas Keith and partner Matt Golas won the silver medal after a pair of tight sets in the final.
Humana-Paredes and Redmond are now off to Cuba to participate in a NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour event.