(ST. JOHN'S, NL) The UNB REDS secured a convincing victory over the Memorial Sea-Hawks in straight sets on Friday in St. John's.

"I thought we played quite well in the middle of the match," said UNB interim head coach John Richard. "It took us a bit to get going and wasn't thrilled with our end, but happy to get out of there in 3."

The REDS won with scores of 25-19, 25-14 and 29-27.

Lydia Green (Bedford, NS) led the way for the REDS with 11 kills, while Talia Nixon (Fredericton, NB) added 9 kills and Heather Benko (Sechelt, BC) added 8. Jenna Adams (Truro, NS) had a solid defensive game for UNB with 3 digs.

"I thought Lydia stepped up with some consistent offence during important stretches of the match and Jenna continues to lead our serve-receive game," said Richard.

The beginning of the first set was close but the REDS kept a consistent lead.

The REDS established a steady lead, capitalizing on multiple attack errors from the Sea-Hawks.

UNB was able to close out the first set 25-19 off a block from Catherine Burns (Fredericton, NB) and Meghan Vaags (Abbotsford, BC).

The second set started with a kill by Lydia Grawer for the Sea-Hawks, but the REDS responded swiftly, maintaining a lead throughout.

Despite Memorial's efforts, the REDS dominated the set, securing a 25-14 victory with a final kill from Green.

The third set witnessed a back-and-forth battle, with neither team gaining more than a 2-point lead initially.

The REDS eventually crawled ahead 12-9, prompting a competitive exchange of impressive kills from both teams.

Memorial managed to tie the set at 12-12 and took a lead at 16-12.

However, the REDS regrouped, securing a 29-27 win with crucial points, including a match-clinching kill from Green.

The REDS and Sea-Hawks will face off again on Saturday at 12:30 pm AT at the Memorial Fieldhouse.

RECAP BY: Memorial Athletics
PHOTOS BY: Udantha Chandraratne/ for Memorial Athletics