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Huskies win ninth straight match, defeating Axewomen in five sets
Posted: Feb 17, 2023

Huskies win ninth straight match, defeating Axewomen in five sets

Photos Box Score
Game Leaders
Saint Mary's
K: Olivia Bell - 18
B: Alena Piatukhova - 4
D: 2 Players (#1, #17) - 20
SA: Emilia Mikanovich - 4
Acadia
K: Sydney Zakutney - 15
B: Wesley-Ann Bailey - 4
D: Rebecca Dorsey - 19
SA: 3 Players (#4, #7, #11) - 2
Team Stats
Full stats

WOLFVILLE, N.S. – The U SPORTS #8 ranked Saint Mary's Huskies won their ninth straight match, defeating the Acadia Axewomen in five sets (14-25, 25-17, 24-26, 27-25, 15-11) on Saturday night in Wolfville, N.S.

Huskies left side Olivia Bell (Lahave, N.S.), posted 18 kills and 18.5 points and was named the AUS Subway Player of the Match. Bell also added 16 digs, two solo blocks and two block assists.

The Axewomen pushed out to an early 6-3 lead in part due to two Huskies attack errors and maintained a lead for the entire opening frame. Kills by Charlotte Dean (Mississauga, Ont.), Wesley-Ann Bailey (Ottawa, Ont.) and two by Taylor Witty (Dartmouth, N.S.) widened the gap to 17-9. A kill by senior graduating Axewoman Paige Snell (Markham, Ont.) ended the set at 25-14 and a 1-0 match lead.

Tied at 10-10 on a kill by Taylor Witty in the second set, the Huskies gained momentum off of several Olivia Bell kills and a handful of Acadia attack errors to gain a 17-10 advantage. 

Two kills by Emilia Mikanovich (Minsk, Belarus), a ball-handling error, and kills from Megan Brum (Hubley, N.S.) and Bell ended the second set at 25-17 for the visiting Huskies.

As expected, neither team would waver in the third set.  Momentum would change hands throughout the game.  Tied at seven, the Axewomen gained an 11-7 lead on the play of Erica Fisher (Stewiacke, N.S.) who posted two service aces.

The Huskies fought back and tied the set at 20-20 off of an Acadia attack error and took the lead on another attack error.  Saint Mary's edged out to a 23-21 lead, but Acadia would not give up, tying the set at 24 and eventually winning the game 26-24 on kills by Dean and Fisher along with a block by Dean and Fisher.

Neither team gave up more of a lead than two points as the fourth set teetered back and forth until a service error and two attack errors by the Axewomen opened the Saint Mary's lead to 21-17.

Tied at 24-24, an exchange of kills by Megan Bruhm and Sydney Zakutney (Ottawa, Ont.), moved the tied match to 25-25. A kill by Alena Piatukhova (Minsk, Belarus) and an Acadia attack error gave the Huskies a 26-24 fourth-set win.

The Huskies jumped on an early lead in the fifth and final set. Out to 8-3 start on the back of four Olivia Bell kills, the Axewomen struggled to make ground.

At 13-7, the Axewomen benefited from two Huskies attack errors and a kill by Sydney Zakutney to close the Huskies' lead to 13-10.

An eventual Megan Bruhm kills and a Madison Hann (Conquerall Mills, N.S.) service ace ended a tight match and fifth set at 15-11.

Olivia Bell posted a game-high 18 kills and 18.5 points and teammates Megan Bruhm and Emilia Mikanovich had 14 and 12 kills respectively. Mikanovich had a team-high 20 digs

Sydney Zakutney led the Axewomen with 15 kills and 16.5 points, while Acadia's Rebecca Dorsey (Toronto, Ont.) recorded 19 digs, giving her an AUS record 412 digs on the season.

The Huskies ninth straight win improves their record to 15-4 on the season. They'll host the Dalhousie Tigers (16-3) on Saturday, and with a win would finish atop the AUS standings and host throughout the playoffs. First serve at 7 p.m. at the Homburg Centre. GET TICKETS

The Axewomen finish the regular season with a 14-6 record after losing their second straight match. They'll await the results of tomorrow's game between Dalhousie and Saint Mary's to determine their semi-final opponents.