Dalhousie shooting for a ninth consecutive conference crown
By Corey LeBlanc
(HALIFAX, N.S.) A pair of cross-city rivals will clash for the 2022 Atlantic University Sport (AUS) women’s volleyball championship banner this week.
The opening match of the best-of-three series featuring the Saint Mary’s Huskies and Dalhousie Tigers is set for The Tower on Wednesday, March 16 at 7 p.m.
“Everyone is super excited to have the opportunity,” fifth-year outside Sarah Dawe of the Tigers—a second-team AUS all-star—says. “It has been a long two years, so it is great to be playing for a conference championship again.”
As a result of the health measures taken to combat the COVID-19 global pandemic, there hasn’t been an AUS women’s volleyball champion crowned since 2020.
Olivia Bell (Lahave, NS)—a third-year outside hitter with the Huskies, and first-team AUS all-star—says her team is “hungry.”
“We can’t wait to take on the challenge,” she says.
The Huskies, who captured first place in the regular season with an 11-4 record, advanced to the championship round with a thrilling five-set victory over the UNB Reds, while the third-place Tigers (9-5) scored a road upset over the second-place Acadia Axewomen (10-5) to secure their spot in the title series.
“Everyone has been focused and played incredibly hard, and we want to keep that momentum going in the final,” Darren Russell of Saint Mary’s, the AUS coach of the year, says. As for the keys to victory against an experienced Dal side—one that the Huskies know has a strong service game, defense and big blockers—he says the Huskies "are going to have to focus on every single point.”
Russell notes that they will need to “match their fire.”
Bell talks about the Huskies continuing to show the “consistency, drive and motivation” that they have displayed since the pre-season.
“We wanted it to be a banner year for us,” she says, noting that everyone with the program has gone the extra mile in an effort to capture an AUS crown.
Bell adds that the Huskies are “very aware that the Tigers are a very talented team,” and a key to success will be “staying focused on our game plan.”
“And, most importantly, have fun and support each other,” she says, ingredients that were front and centre during the thrilling semi-final victory over the REDS.
As for the Tigers, veteran head coach Rick Scott says they are excited to have the chance to play for a ninth consecutive AUS banner after what has been a “long season,” one with plenty of “ups and downs.”
“We think that we are playing our best volleyball of the season,” he adds.
When assessing the championship match-up, Scott talks about Dal’s performance on first contact—serving and receiving.
“We have to be strong in that area,” he says. Noting that the Huskies have strong attackers, Scott stresses the importance of playing “strong ‘D’.”
Like her head coach, Dawe believes the Tigers are “peaking at the right time.”
“Some of our young players have really stepped up—our full team is contributing,” she says.
In the AUS regular season, Saint Mary’s won both matches over Dalhousie.
The second match in the AUS final series is set for Thursday, March 17, at 7 p.m., while the third-and-final tilt, if necessary, will take place on Friday, March 18, at 7 p.m.
All matches will be hosted by Saint Mary's and will be webcast at www.AUStv.ca.
The AUS banner winner will advance to the 2022 U SPORTS Women’s Volleyball Championships, hosted by the University of Calgary, from March 25-27.