The UNB Saint John Seawolves women’s volleyball team took to the court Wednesday night in a match against their rival, the St. Thomas University Tommies.
Coming into the match, UNB sat only one spot ahead of STU in the conference standings making winning this game crucial with the end of the regular season approaching.
The game started with the Tommies sneaking away with the first set, 25-23 and moving forward on to the second set, the Seawolves changed their game plan.
“We simplified our play by not thinking about the end result but more about what we had to do to get there,” said Seawolves middle, Montanna Meyer.
During the second set, points would be exchanged but neither team managed to pull ahead by more than two.
Service streaks from Alannah Hansen and Madi Hartos brought the Seawolves back from mid-set deficits but it was still a battle to the very end.
Finally, a spinning service ace from Jenna DeGooyer and a kill from Hartos allowed the Seawolves to clinch the second set 26-24.
The third set opened with an impressive UNB block and the Seawolves took the first point. Tommies’ Allison Roy went on a point streak from the service line, which advanced the Tommies 15-8.
UNB staged a massive seven point comeback and were able to take the lead late in the third set to claim victory, 25-22.
Racing out to a quick 4-0 lead in fourth set, UNB managed to stay ahead of the Tommies for the remainder of the match.
After three extremely close sets, it seemed like the Tommies fell out of sync and the Seawolves easily capitalized on STU errors.
“In the 4th set we focused on the basics and capitalized at the appropriate times,” said Hansen. A quick fourth set finished in favour of UNB, 25-10, resulting in a 3-1 match win.
Meyer described her team’s determination to win in the fourth set. “Everyone on and off the court were hungry for that win and we were ready to do anything for it.”
“We definitely have a shot at our main goal of winning ACAA’s.”
After the adrenaline rush of beating their rivals at home, the Seawolves are looking forward to the fast-approaching playoffs.
Meyer explained how the Seawolves are preparing, “We are focusing on the little things like getting enough sleep, getting in our workouts and eating right,” she said. “We definitely have a shot at our main goal of winning ACAA’s.”
Hansen echoed Meyer’s confidence, “We plan to focus on our strengths and find the weaknesses in the other teams.”
After the Wednesday night match up, the Seawolves sit in third place in the conference standings with a 10-7 record.
The Seawolves will travel to Nova Scotia this weekend where they take on the Dalhousie Agricultural Campus Rams on Saturday at 2PM and the University of King’s College Blue Devils on Sunday at noon.
Both games can be streamed online at www.acaatv.ca .
