Huskies beat Tigers in straight sets
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — Dalhousie fell to Saint Mary's in a straight-set loss at Homburg Centre on Sunday, with set scores of 22-25, 17-25, 20-25. The Huskies secured the victory with a .312 hitting percentage in the final set.
The first set began with the Huskies capitalizing on Dalhousie's attack errors to take an early 4-0 lead, featuring blocks by Alena Piatukhova and Taylor Lougheed. Dalhousie narrowed the gap with a series of points, including a kill by Paris Stewart from Madelyn MacLaughlin, reducing the deficit to 4-7. The Huskies extended their lead with consistent plays, as Emilia Mikanovich and Esther Wildeboer contributed crucial kills, pushing the score to 12-6. Dalhousie mounted a comeback, propelled by a service ace from Jaimie Pike, bringing them within one point at 16-15. However, the Huskies regained control, closing the set at 25-22 with Jordin Parsons securing the final point off an assist from Grace Blaskovits.
Saint Mary's secured the second set with a 25-17 win over Dalhousie, capitalizing on several key plays. Jordin Parsons delivered a service ace to open the scoring, and later added two more aces during a pivotal stretch that widened the lead to 11-7. Alena Piatukhova contributed with multiple kills, including the set-winning point. Dalhousie's Paris Stewart and Mel Hatfield managed to keep their team competitive with kills, but ultimately, the Huskies maintained control through consistent offensive plays and capitalized on Dalhousie errors.
The Huskies capitalized on a series of attack errors to secure a 25-20 victory in the third set against Dalhousie. Alena Piatukhova and Esther Wildeboer were instrumental in building the Huskies' early momentum, with Piatukhova contributing two kills as they took a 7-3 lead. Dalhousie responded with a strong showing from Paris Stewart, who recorded multiple kills to bring the score to a 16-16 tie. However, the Huskies regained control with a decisive 5-0 run, capped by a service ace from Emilia Mikanovich. Despite a late push by Dalhousie, the Huskies closed out the set with a series of points, including back-to-back errors by Dalhousie's Mel Hatfield.
Madelyn MacLaughlin directed play with a team-high 22 assists, contributing significantly to the offensive setup. Paris Stewart posted nine kills on 19 attempts, hitting .316 to lead the attack. Mel Hatfield registered 13 digs, anchoring the defense with her efforts in the back row. Ella Hornby added five kills and recorded seven digs, rounding out a balanced performance.
The Tigers next game is Friday, November 28 at Acadia.