REDS Sweep Sea-Hawks

(ST. JOHN'S, NL) The UNB REDS completed a weekend sweep of the Memorial Sea-Hawks, in St. John's, with a straight sets victory on Sunday.

The REDS won 25-8, 25-20 and 25-13.

"We served the ball very aggressively today, which put Memorial in difficult situations," said REDS head coach Richard Schick. "This, in turn, allowed us to set up our block/defence and transition game, which was effective." 

In the first set, UNB was able to take an early lead, helped by some smart plays from setter Paige Lehto (North Vancouver, BC) and four kills from Isla Olesen (Calgary, AB). A couple of kills from Memorial's Lydia Grawer (St. Louis, MO) helped to keep the Sea-Hawks in the game. But, the REDS were extremely tough on the attack and defense, led by notable attacks from Olesen, Heather Benko (Sechelt, BC) and Kindigo Watson (Calgary, AB), taking the first set 25-8.

The second opened with tight play from both sides and some strong attacking play from Kamryn Sanger (Paradise, NL), including a couple of aces and a kill, that gave Memorial an early lead.

Solid serving by Benko allowed the REDS to come back, drawing even at 15.

After some more back-and-forth play, the REDS were able to pull ahead, helped by three Olesen kills, and win the second set 25-20. 

In the third, there was more close play. 

The REDS were able to pull ahead midway through the set with some solid serving and a kill from Watson.

Helped by solid attacking from several REDS, UNB went ahead to win 25-13 for the straight sets victory.

"We were flexible and worked to make quick adjustments when things weren't working," said Olesen. "The whole team contributed to our success. Our players coming off the bench did a great job of stepping in right away to perform."

Notable performances on the Sea-Hawks side included the attacking performance of Grawer, who led the team with seven kills.

Both Sanger and Halle Wirth (Winnipeg, MB) had three kills and three digs apiece.

For the REDS, Olesen had a strong performance with a game-high 11 kills and several blocks. She was named Subway Player of the Game.

Benko had a well-rounded game with eight kills, four aces and 13 digs, while Watson racked up nine kills. Lehto had 24 assists and Katelyn Chapman (Indian Mountain, NB) registered 15 digs.

"We worked hard this weekend to open the lines of communication so we could build trust within the team," said Olesen. "We're learning what everyone needs as individuals so that we can work well as a team."

"It was good to see us compete and play more consistently as the weekend progressed," said Coach Schick.

The REDS are now 7-7 and sit tied for third in the Atlantice University Sport standings.

Memorial remains winless this season and will visit Dalhousie on Friday.

The REDS next action is Saturday when they host Moncton. First serve is scheduled for 7:00pm.

RECAP BY: Olivia Ryan/for MUN Athletics

PHOTOS BY: Udantha Chandraratne/for MUN Athletics