At the AUS women's volleyball league tournament in St. John's this past weekend, the Dalhousie Tigers earned a tournament sweep to record their eighth-straight victory, while the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleues earned their first two wins of the season.
Friday night, the Dalhousie Tigers were able to escape with a 3-1 (25-17, 14-25, 27-25, 25-16) victory over the Aigles Bleues. Lucy Glen-Carter finished with a game-high 18 kills and 24.5 points, lifting the Tigers out of some tough situations. Tigers setter Brett Boldon was extremely efficient during the match, dishing out an impressive 34 assists. Outside hitter Sara Chiasson was outstanding on the Aigles Bleues attack, ending the game with a team-high 14 kills and 16 points. Aigles Bleues setter Cassidy Martin was effective in her distribution of the ball, in 4 sets she had 24 assists. With a game-high 18 kills, Glen-Carter was named the Subway Player of the Game.
Saturday, the Tigers handed the Acadia Axewomen their first loss of the season, by a score of 3-2 (25-21, 18-25, 26-28, 25-19, 15-13), in a drama-filled match at the MUN Fieldhouse. Glen-Carter was once again the catalyst for the Tigers attack, closing the game with an impressive 26 kills that led all players in the match. Glen-Carter was also active on the defensive end, grabbing 15 digs for her team's cause. Tigers' setter Brett Boldon was efficient in her distribution of the ball, tacking on 40 assists. Acadia's Sydney Zakutney led her team in kills (22) and digs (24), while Eve Collombin had some nice attacks for the Axewomen, putting up a solid total of 16 kills on the afternoon.
In their final match of the tournament, Dalhousie edged the UNB Reds by a score of 3-1 (22-25, 30-28, 29-27, 25-23). For the third day in a row, Glen-Carter was stellar once again for the Tigers, registering a game-high 18 kills while also contributing significantly on the defensive, ranking 2nd on her team in digs (11). Libero Alessandra Nadalini was also extremely impressive throughout the match, consistently keeping points alive with her great passing, her 23 digs led all players in the match. Heather Benko (16) and Kindigo Watson (15) led the way for the Reds in terms of kills and points. Benko was also super impressive on the defensive end as well, racking up 20 digs to go with her top-tier attacking.
Despite their loss to the Tigers to kick off the tournament, the Aigles Bleues bounced back, blanking the Memorial Sea-Hawks 3-0 Saturday by scores of 25-16, 26-24 and 25-15. Emily Robichaud led the Aigles Bleues with 16 digs, while Joanie Arsenault and Kyana Sivret both finished with seven kills in the victory. For Memorial, Sarah Trowbridge finished with a game-high 20 digs, while Kamryn Sanger had three kills and seven digs in the loss.
Sunday afternoon, the Aigles Bleus pulled off one of the upsets of the season when they defeated the Axewomen 3-2, handing them just their second loss of the season. The Aigles Bleues won by scores of 25-21, 14-25, 22-25, 25-23 and 15-7. The Aigles Bleus were led by a trio of players on the attacking side as Sara Chiasson, Anna Paquette, and Ivana Urquhard-Mladi were active on the offensive end. Chiasson finished with a team-high 11 kills, while Paquette (10) and Urquhart-Mladi (8) trailed closely behind. Setter Cassidy Martin was extremely efficient throughout the course of the match, gathering 37 assists. The Axewomen also relied on a trio of players to lead the way on the attack as Taylor Witty (12), Jenna Lake (11), and Wesley-Ann Bailey (10) produced well on the afternoon. Charlotte Dean led the way in assists, registering a game-high 42 to her teammates.
Despite the losses to Dalhousie and Moncton, the Acadia Axewomen earned two points in their first game of the tournament Friday night, blanking the Saint Mary's Huskies 3-0 (25-17, 25-19, 25-23). Axewomen outside hitter Taylor Witty posted a game-high 10 kills and was also active on the defensive end, recording six digs. Setter Charlotte Dean was also outstanding in this match, consistently putting her team in positions to succeed, gathering 29 assists for the match. Huskies outside hitter Olivia Bell was the main catalyst for the Huskies attack, producing a team-high nine kills and an impressive five digs. Opposite-side hitter Megan Bruhm was also pivotal for the Huskies, recording four kills and a team-high 12 digs.
The Huskies bounced back Saturday and Sunday, finishing the tournament with a pair of wins. First, Saint Mary's was able to come away victorious against the UNB Reds by a final score of 3-0 (25-19, 25-17, 25-23) Saturday afternoon. Huskies outside hitter Sydney Fader was named Subway Player of the Game with four kills, eight digs and two service aces. Saint Mary's outside hitter Olivia Bell was dominant throughout the entire match, recording a game-high 15 kills, while also contributing on the defensive side, adding 7 digs. Reds outside hitter Heather Benko was solid on the attack, finishing with a team-high nine kills.
Sunday, the Huskies wrapped up the tournament with a 3-0 (25-21, 26-24, 25-15) victory over the host Memorial Sea-Hawks. Huskies middle Madison Hann was named Subway Player of the Game with six kills, four blocks and two service aces. All-Star outside hitter Olivia Bell was at her best once again for the Huskies, attacking from all over the court to the tune of 14 kills, and was active on the defensive adding nine digs in the match. For the Sea-Hawks Emily Batt was the most productive on the attack, grabbing seven kills on the game to go along with eight digs. Janeen Pellat was extremely efficient in her attacks, registering six kills and a team-high kill% of .250.
The UNB Reds earned one victory this weekend, taking the Sea-Hawks in straight sets Friday evening, winning with scores of 25-10, 25-22, and 25-12. With 11 kills and 17 digs, Heather Benko earned Subway Player of the Game honours for UNB. Sonya Nielson had eight kills and six digs in the Reds win, while Sarah Trowbridge led Memorial with four kills and 11 digs.
Scores:
Friday, Nov. 18
Acadia 3 at Saint Mary's 0
Moncton 1 at Dalhousie 3
UNB 3 at Memorial 0
Saturday, Nov. 19
Acadia 2 at Dalhousie 3
UNB 0 at Saint Mary's 3
Moncton 3 at Memorial 0
Sunday, Nov. 20
UNB 1 at Dalhousie 3
Moncton 3 at Acadia 2
Saint Mary's 3 at Memorial 0
Current Standings
- Dalhousie Tigers (8-1) - 16 points
- Acadia Axewomen (7-2) - 14 points
- Saint Mary's Huskies (5-3) - 10 points
- UNB Reds (4-5) - 8 points
- Université de Moncton Aigles Bleues (2-7) - 4 points
- Memorial Sea-Hawks (0-5) - 0 points