Tigers defeat Huskies in straight sets

HALIFAX, NS - The Dalhousie Tigers (11-7) defeated the Saint Mary's Huskies (11-6) in straight sets (25-19, 25-17, 25-20) in Atlantic University Sport Women's Volleyball action on Saturday night at the Homburg Centre in Halifax.

Player-of-the-Game Talia Vydykhan (Hammonds Plains, NS) and Lucy Glen-Carter (Toronto, ON) provided 11 kills each for the Tigers, while the Huskies were held to a 4.3 kill percentage on the night.

Huskies setter Taylor Lougheed (Calgary, AB) prioritized left side Emilia Mikanovich (Minsk, Belarus) early, who kept hammering shots down the sideline. Tigers setter Hannah Ropret (Toronto, ON) anchored their offense, keeping the Huskies off-balance all game. Glen-Carter piled up points with a slippery float serve. But Huskies middle Alena Piatukhova (Minsk, Belarus) was able to come up huge with a solo block on middle Kasandra Trenke (Calgary, AB) to get the ball back. Tigers libero Rebecca MacDonnell (Mount Uniacke, NS) snatched back the momentum as she dove to dig a pipe from Mikanovich, transitioned into a quick kill by outside Amelia Hartnett (Fredericton, NB) for a 12-7 cushion. Tigers setter Kirsty Longino (Calgary, AB) sent a back set in the direction of Hartnett, who crushed a topspin smash over the Huskies blockers. After a quiet start, Huskies left side Olivia Bell (Lahave, NS) sent an unfortunate volleyball through a crosscourt gap for her first kill of the contest. However, Vydykhan began to heat up, and Huskies miscues offered the Tigers an octuple of set points. The Huskies negated a couple, highlighted when right side Megan Bruhm (Hubley, NS) teamed up with Piatukhova for a blistering double block on Glen-Carter. Nonetheless, Tigers middle Grace Calnan (Cole Harbour, NS) tipped it off the Huskies blocks to win the set 25-19.

The Tigers continued to send double coverage along their sidelines in the second set. Ropret and Trenke met Mikanovich for an early block, but Mikanovich persevered and found kills crosscourt and up the sideline. However, the Tigers took control with teamwide dominance, periodically punctuated by ferocious attacks from Vydykhan. Glen-Carter serves harried the Huskies into a timeout trailing 7-3 with. Lougheed seemed to buoy the Huskies when she snuck a fake set to the back corner to win a long rally, but the Tigers continued to deny the left side attack. The Huskies began to mix in new angles of attack, and stabilized, forcing a Tigers timeout at 20-14. Lougheed found a positive set to Piatukhova in the middle, before providing a huge solo block on Vydykhan. While the Huskies narrowed the lead to 21-17, serves from Tigers outside Paris Stewart (Halifax, NS) closed out the set 25-17 behind Vydykhan kills and a Calnan block on Mikanovich.

Lougheed and Piatukhova connected for a couple of early kills in the middle, but the Tigers hitters kept finding gaps in the Huskies blockers with touchy shots. Ultimately, Glen-Carter got on serve, applied intense pressure, and put the Tigers ahead 8-4. Lougheed responded with an ace of her own, before initiating an extended rally featuring relentless Bell attacks on Glen-Carter that were eventually successful. The Tigers took timeout trailing 9-8, but returned to a Bruhm boom. Nonetheless, the Tigers stood strong, winning an epic rally from Vydykhan. While the Huskies showed heart, the Tigers blockers were seemingly impenetrable during a five-point spree for a 18-16 advantage. Out of a Huskies timeout, Mikanovich bounced a kill off Ropret, and specialist Paige Deering (Calgary, AB) came in to serve, hoping to steal the set. But the Tigers fielded her serve cleanly, and Glen-Carter sent it right back to Deering's feet. Bell kept the Huskies close with late kills, only to be followed up with service errors. The Huskies libero Syree Tucker (Kitchener, ON) repeatedly dug tricky float serves, including a shoestringer from Stewart that helped narrow the Huskies lead to 22-20. Unfortunately for the Huskies, Lougheed and Piatukhova crossed signals again, giving up four match points to the Tigers. Fittingly, the set and match ended with a Tigers double block on a Huskies left side attack, and Dalhousie walked away with a home-and-home sweep of their crosstown rivals 25-19, 25-17, 25-20.

The Tigers were led by Player-of-the-Game Talia Vydykhan who had 11 kills and five digs. Lucy Glen-Carter added 11 Kills on 34.6 K%, while also providing eight digs and three aces. Paris Stewart, Kasandra Trenke, and Grace Calnan each had five blocks on the front line. Rebecca MacDonnell led the Tigers with 13 digs, while Hannah Ropret had 27 assists.

Olivia Bell led the Huskies in kills and digs with 10 each. Alena Piatukhova added five kills and three blocks, while Taylor Lougheed had 22 assists.

The Huskies loss drops their record to 11-6 on the season, with three games remaining. The Huskies will travel to Moncton to take on the Aigles Bleues (7-10) on Wednesday, Feb. 14, before returning to the Homburg Centre for a pair of matches against the Memorial Sea-Hawks (0-18) - Friday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m., and Saturday, Feb. 17 at 1 p.m. GET TICKETS

The Tigers win improves their record to 11-7 with two games remaining, both against the AUS-leading Acadia Axewomen (14-4) - Thursday, Feb. 15 in Wolfville, N.S., and Saturday, Feb. 17 at the Dalplex, with both games scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.

Recap by Dr. Casper Macaulay / Saint Mary's Huskies Athletics
Photos by Eduardo Ibarra / Saint Mary's Huskies Athletics