Axewomen outlast Huskies in five-set thriller

HALIFAX, N.S. - The Acadia Axewomen defeated the Saint Mary's Huskies three sets to two (15-25, 25-17, 18-25, 28-26, 15-12) in an AUS Women's Volleyball thriller on Saturday afternoon at the Homburg Centre in Halifax.

In the opening set, it was the Huskies who controlled the match early, getting off to a quick 8-2 lead thanks to some great service by Emilia Mikanovich (Minsk, Belarus). But the Axewomen came roaring back with service by middle Erica Fisher (Middle Stewiacke, NS) and attacking from outside hitter Taylor Witty (Dartmouth, NS), to cut the lead to 20-14. It was another Mikanovich ace, the Huskies fifth of the first set, which secured the first set win 25-15.

The second set saw the barrage of service aces continue, with two aces from Axewomen setter Katie MacLean (Humboldt, SK) giving them an early 17-10 lead. Witty finished off the second set with an ace of her own, as the Axewomen bounced back with a 25-17 second set win.

The back-and-forth battle continued into the third set, with great play from both sides. The Huskies import duo of Mikanovich and Alena Piatukhova (Minsk, Belarus) ramped up their play, combining for 12 kills in the third set, with a Piatukhova kill giving the Huskies a 25-18 third set win.

The Huskies got off to a quick 8-4 lead in the fourth set, but the Axewomen fought back in a must-win situation, earning eight straight points off the service of Sydney Zakutney (Ottawa, ON), giving them a 12-8 advantage. Both teams were at their best during an epic fourth set, which saw tie-breaks at 24, 25, and 26, before Axewomen middle Wesley-Ann Bailey (Ottawa, ON) ended it with a kill, giving the Axewomen a 28-26 fourth set win and forcing a decisive fifth set.

The fifth set saw the Huskies open up a 9-6 lead thanks to some strong play from AUS All-Stars Megan Bruhm (Hubley, NS) and Olivia Bell (Lahave, NS). But once again, the Axewomen had an answer, scoring three straight points of service by Kate MacLean to tie it up at 9-9. The Huskies restored their lead 12-9, but the Axewomen went on a game-ending six point run behind the service of Charlotte Dean (Mississauga, ON), and finished off by a Zakutney kill, giving the visitors a 15-12 fifth set win, and a come-from-behind 3-2 win.

Axewomen outside hitter Taylor Witty was named Subway Player of the Game with a team-high 16 kills, and added 13 digs, five assists and two service aces. Sydney Zakutney added 11 kills, 15 digs, seven assists and four blocks, while setter Charlotte Dean posted a team-high 38 assists and serving specialist Kate MacLean delivered three service aces.

The Huskies were led by Mikanovich with a game-high 19 kills, and added 14 digs, five service aces and one block. Setter Taylor Lougheed (Calgary, AB) led all players with 46 assists, while Megan Bruhm (13 kills, 19 digs and three service aces) and Olivia Bell (11 kills, 12 digs and three service aces), continued their excellent all-around play.

The Axewomen win improved their record to 8-2 on the campaign. They'll be back in action on Friday, Jan. 20, as they host the league-leading Dalhousie Tigers (10-1) in Wolfville, N.S., with first serve scheduled for 7 p.m.

The Huskies loss dropped their record to 6-4 on the season. They'll be on the road next weekend as they head to Moncton to take on the Aigles Bleues (2-8) for a pair of matches; Friday, Jan. 21 at 3 p.m., and Saturday, Jan. 22 at 2 p.m.

Recap by Allan April / Saint Mary's Huskies Athletics
Photos courtesy Saint Mary's Huskies Athletics