Huskies defeat Axewomen in straight sets for fourth straight win
WOLFVILLE, N.S. - The Saint Mary's Huskies won their fourth straight match in commanding fashion, defeating the Acadia Axewomen in three sets (25-13, 28-26, 25-14) on Friday night in Wolfville, N.S.
The Huskies dominated from the first serve, pulling out to a 14-1 lead, thanks in part to three straight service aces by outside hitter Emilia Mikanovich (Minsk, Belarus).
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— SMU Huskies (@SMUHuskies) February 3, 2023
Three straight aces for Emilia Mikanovich as the Huskies open up an early 12-1 lead in the first set! pic.twitter.com/n201w5xzYx
All-star outside hitter Olivia Bell (Lahave, NS) posted three first set kills, and the Huskies won the opening set 25-13.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— SMU Huskies (@SMUHuskies) February 3, 2023
A dominant 25-13 first set win for the Huskies, led by Olivia Bell with three kills, and Emilia Mikanovich with two kills and three service aces! pic.twitter.com/6SFOErOW8t
The second set was a back-and-forth battle that had the Axewomen pull away early in the frame. Kills by Wesley-Ann Bailey (Ottawa, Ont.) and Jenna Lake (Conception Bay South, Nfld.), a service ace by Lake, and several attack errors by the Huskies gave Acadia a 14-6 lead.
Saint Mary's closed the Acadia lead to 19-17 and eventually tied the set at 24-24 on an Olivia Bell service ace. With a 26-25 advantage, the Axewomen fell short of wrapping up the second set, giving up a service error and attack error at the end of the 28-26 loss.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— SMU Huskies (@SMUHuskies) February 4, 2023
An EPIC second set comeback for the Huskies, erasing deficits of 6-14 and 19-24 to take it 28-26! Huskies lead Axewomen 2-0 heading into the third set. pic.twitter.com/5qKJLKiVbr
Interrupted by a fire alarm, a somewhat scattered Axewomen team didn't bounce back in the third set. The Huskies pushed out to an 11-3 lead on the back of Mikanovich and Bell.
The largest lead of the third and eventual final set came from Acadia's errors that led to an insurmountable 20-11 Huskies lead.
Two kills in a row by Megan Bruhm (Hubley, N.S.) concluded the 25-14 third-set win by the Huskies.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— SMU Huskies (@SMUHuskies) February 4, 2023
A dominant straight set win over the Acadia Axewomen 25-13, 28-26, 25-14. Emilia Mikanovich named @SubwayCanada Player of the Game with 10 kills, 10 digs and four service aces. pic.twitter.com/F71zunnUMH
Mikanovich, named the Subway Player of the Match, posted 10 kills for a kill percentage of 0.321 and 15.0 points. Teammate Olivia Bell also recorded 10 kills, while setter Taylor Lougheed (Calgary, Alta.) had 24 assists and 10 digs.
Axewoman Sydney Zakutney led the Axewomen with eight kills, while Rebecca Dorsey and Taylor Witty shared the defensive effort with 10 and 13 digs respectively.
The Huskies fourth straight win improved their record to 10-4 on the season. They'll be back on home court tomorrow, hosting the UNB REDS (8-8) at the Homburg Centre at 2 p.m. GET TICKETS
The Axewomen loss drops their record to 11-4 on the campaign. They'll hit the road tomorrow, taking on the league-leading Dalhousie Tigers (13-2) at the Dalplex at 2 p.m.