Sure, there were differences.
The Cambrian Shield women's volleyball team had to win their game on the road while the men could do so in their comfort of their own gymnasium.
The Cambrian women were extended to four sets while the men swept through in just three.
One could say the similarities outweighed the differences as both Shield squads eliminated the Algonquin Wolves, in Ottawa and Sudbury, to advance through to the OCAA quarter-finals this weekend.
The Cambrian ladies took to the road and defeated the Wolves 25-21, 25-17, 24-26, 25-20, in a battle of West #5 (Cambrian) and East #4 (Algonquin), staying true to the long-held belief that the West boasts greater depth in the sport of women's volleyball.
Shield setter Allison Nordquist was masterful in her ball distribution, with Cambrian attackers Carlie Pappano (14 kills), Jersey Masson (13), Maisie Craig (11), Kennedy Bellefeuille (9) and Taylor Vaillant (7) all scoring with some degree of regularity.
Nordquist added eight kills of her own, while Vaillant recorded four blocks, libero Mackenzie Selk paced the winners with 20 digs (Carlie Pappano had 18) and freshman Fannie Gauthier also saw action in three of the four sets.
Cambrian is back on the road again on Saturday, facing the undefeated Humber Hawks (18-0) as only the La Cité Coyotes remain alive from the East Division.
The Cambrian men were nothing if not methodical in disposing of Algonquin, just that much better in each and every set: 25-19, 25-18, 25-18.
Again, there was some nice balance to the Shield strategy as Kyle Perreault (10 kills), Kurtis Brisebois (9), Jason Diotte (7) and Liam Hansen (6) topped the charts for the homeside.
Rookie setter and graduate of Lockerby Composite Sam George is displaying more and more confidence with every successive set, also showing the way defensively for his team with six digs.
The Shield will now play host to the Mohawk Mountaineers on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. in quarter-final action, with the possibility in place that Cambrian College might be the site for the Final Four men's weekend on February 21st to 23rd.
