The Athletic and Wellness Centre was rocking Tuesday night as the Centennial Colts men's varsity volleyball team forced a fifth and deciding set against the George Brown Huskies, determined to end a ten game losing streak.

Although the Colts (1-11) fell short, eventually losing in five sets (21-25, 26-24, 19-25, 25-22, 15-12) to the Huskies, there were a lot of positives to take away from the close game.

Including the first set of this match, the Centennial men had dropped 11 consecutive sets, losing in straight sets in three of those games. However, with the second set victory, the Colts ended that drought.

Errors have marred Centennial throughout their season. Tonight, though, the Colts limited the errors, committing just 16 in total (compared to 37 for George Brown) and also had a 13-0 edge in blocked shots.

Centennial, however, was beat by George Brown in kills (52-40), digs (59-40), and service aces (six to three), which proved to be critical in the loss.

Justin Smith led the Colts with 18 points, six digs, six blocked shots, and 12 kills while Jason Filion and Sev Libramonte finished in double figures as well with 13 and 10 points, respectively. Matthew Wallace paced the team with 37 assists and Steve Facca led Centennial with nine digs in the loss.

Despite the Colts having a season high 11 straight losses after winning their first game and are still winless at home, Smith was proud of his team for competing against one of the better teams in the OCAA East.

"As a team, we definitely came together," Smith said. "Some of the positives were our blocking, limiting our errors, and we made them commit mistakes. This was definitely a step in the right direction; it was just a couple of unfortunate bounces."

Smith was thrilled at the ovations given from the energetic crowd during the game as well.

"The crowd is like the seventh man," Smith said. "It is something you can't be thankful enough for. It's an energy that's incomparable."

As for winning a set for the first time in 11 sets, Smith answered, "It was due to come. We just had to execute on the court."

An unsung hero in the team has been setter Matthew Wallace, who has suddenly been thrown into a starting role- and in a position that he's never played before.

Wallace's effort doesn't go unnoticed by the Colts, especially the veteran Smith.

"He's tremendous," Smith said. "The kid is learning on the fly and he's exceeding expectations by setting us up for plays. Shout out to Matt Wallace."

For head coach Alain Arseneau and the Colts men, it is just their second year back in the OCAA and are fighting to earn respect from everybody. Smith says that the team isn't indicative of what their record is.

"I speak on behalf of the team is that we're capable of doing good things," Smith said. "It's just being consistent and keeping our heads in the game. We have to bring it to every touch of the ball."

Smith insists that the fans should, in the great words of 76ers big man Joel Embiid, "trust the process."

"It's a process," Smith said. "We're building on a foundation and we're revitalizing this program."

"We're not a pushover."

Up Next: The Colts head on the road and try to look for a win as they play the Seneca Sting on Friday Jan. 20 at 8:00 pm.