KITCHENER, Ont. – The Mohawk Mountaineers men's volleyball team continued its strong play Friday night, defeating the Conestoga Condors 3-1 to win its fourth match in their last five outings.

With the victory, Mohawk improved to 7-4 on the season and sits third in the OCAA West Division.

The Mountaineers jumped out to a 12-7 lead in the opening set. Conestoga closed the gap to within a point, but Mohawk answered each Condors push and built its largest lead at 22-17 before closing out the set 25-19.

Mohawk appeared in full control early in the second set, racing out to a 10-1 lead and maintaining a nine-point advantage at 14-5. Conestoga responded by scoring 11 of the next 14 points to trim the deficit to 17-16. The set was tied at 19-19 before Mohawk regained momentum, pulling ahead 22-19 and holding on for a 25-21 win.

Conestoga carried the momentum into the third set, opening up a 12-8 lead. Mohawk was unable to cut the deficit to fewer than two points and dropped the set 25-20.

The Mountaineers fell behind 4-1 early in the fourth set but quickly recovered to tie the score. The teams were tied three more times before Mohawk built a three-point cushion at 15-12. The Mountaineers held off several Condors rallies and closed out the match with a 25-20 win.

Alex Jurak (St. Catharines, Ont.) led Mohawk with 12 kills, while Dean Zicari (Burlington, Ont.) added 10. Brecken Morrison (Stouffville, Ont.) recorded 35 assists, marking the third time in four matches he has surpassed the 30-assist mark. The Mountaineers also combined for 12 service aces.

Mohawk will have more than a week off before returning to action Jan. 25, when it hosts the No. 11 nationally ranked Cambrian Shield at 3 p.m.