Huskies defeat Aigles Bleues in five set thriller

HALIFAX, NS - Emilia Mikanovich and Alena Piatukhova led Saint Mary's with 12 kills each as the Huskies defeated the Moncton Aigles Bleues in a five set thriller (21-25, 29-27, 25-22, 19-25, 15-12) in Atlantic University Sport women's volleyball action on Friday night at the Homburg Centre in Halifax, NS.

First set: 20-25 Aigles Bleues
Moncton led 21-14 after back-to-back service aces from outside hitter Evette Petherick (Port Hope, ON). The Huskies went on a four point run, including two kills from Brea de Souza and a service ace from Grace Blaskovits to cut the lead to 24-21, but a kill from middle Kyana Sivret (Riviere-a-la-Truite, NB) gave the Aigles Bleus the first set win, 25-21.

Second set: 29-27 Huskies
The second set was a thriller, as the two teams went back-and-forth with 10 ties throughout the set. The Aigles Bleues opened up an 11-7 lead after a seven point service streak from Evette Petherick, which included four service aces. But the Huskies fought back, tying it at 19-19, and taking a 22-21 lead after back-to-back kills from middle Alena Piatukhova (Minsk, Belarus). The Huskies pushed the Aigles Bleues to set point several times, but Moncton continued to answer, until Huskies setter Grace Blaskovits (Kelowna, BC) served up an ace to take it 29-27.

HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��

An epic second set comes to an end thanks for a winning ace from Grace Blaskovits! Huskies take it 29-27 to tie the Aigles Bleues at 1-1! pic.twitter.com/oNhyGPDDq2

— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) January 25, 2025

Third set: 25-22 Huskies
Aigles Bleues held a slim advantage for the majority of the set, opening up a 21-16 lead after a kill by Kyana Sivret. But the Huskies roared back, scoring nine of the next 10 points, with a Madison Hann (Conquerall Mills, NS) service ace followed by a Sydney Fader (Dartmouth, NS) kill giving them the 25-22 come-from-behind third set win, and a 2-1 advantage heading into the fourth set.

HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��

A huge comeback from the Huskies as they score five straight points to win the set 25-22, capped off with a Madison Hann ace and Sydney Fader kill! Huskies take a 2-1 lead over the Aigles Bleues! pic.twitter.com/P02JhoHktU

— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) January 25, 2025

Fourth set: 19-25 Aigles Bleues
The beginning of the fourth set was all Aigles Bleues, as they opened up a 10-2 lead off of a service run from setter Cassidy Martin (Saint-Charles de Kent). The Aigles Bleues continued to dominate the set, with an ace from Kyana Sivret pushing their advantage to 17-6. But the Huskies had a comeback left in them, with setter Taylor Lougheed (Edmonton, AB) setting up left side Emilia Mikanovich (Minsk, Belarus) and middle Anna Liniewski (Burnaby, BC) for a couple kills each, cutting the lead to 24-19. But the Aigles Bleues were able to hold off the comeback and take the set 25-19, forcing a decisive fifth set.

Fifth set: 15-12 Huskies
The fifth quarter was tense, with both teams exchanging points early. A kill from outside hitter Sarah Harland (Milton, ON) gave the Huskies an 8-5 advantage. But once again, the Aigles Bleues had an answer, with a pair of kills from Sophie Hedou (Edmundston, NB)  cutting the Huskies lead to 9-8. But Huskies first years Grace Blaskovits and Esther Wildeboer (Ottawa, ON) connected for back-to-back kills, followed by a kill from Alena Piatukhova to take a 13-8 advantage. The Aigles Bleues responded with two points to cut the lead to 13-10, but Emilia Mikanovich delivered a kill to set-up match point. But once again, the Aigles Bleues would not go down without a fight, scoring two more points off a kill from Kyana Sivret and pushing the lead to 14-12. Fittingly, it was Emilia Mikanovich who finally finished off the marathon match with a big kill, giving the Huskies a 15-12 fifth set victory.

HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��

Emilia Mikanovich finishes off a marathon match with the kill as the Huskies take a five set win over the Moncton Aigles Bleues (21-25, 29-27, 25-22, 19-25, 15-12) to improve to 10-4 on the season! pic.twitter.com/wJJrCKpQ2L

— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) January 25, 2025

The Huskies were led by middle Alena Piatukhova who scored 15.0 points on 12 kills, seven digs, two blocks and one ace. Emilia Mikanovich added 12 kills, 18 digs and an ace, while setter Grace Blaskovits dished out 28 assists.

The Aigles Bleues were led by Kyana Sivret who recorded a match-high 20.5 points on 17 kills, two aces, three blocks and 14 digs. Evette Petherick added 19.5 points on 13 kills, six service aces and seven digs, and setter Cassidy Martin recorded a match-high 37 assists and added two aces. 

The Huskies second straight win improves their record to 10-4 on the season, while the Aigles Bleues drop to 1-13 with the loss. The two teams will meet again on Sunday, Jan. 26, this time in Moncton, with first serve scheduled for 2 p.m.

Recap by Allan April / Saint Mary's Huskies Athletics
Photos by Mona Ghiz / Saint Mary's Huskies Athletics