At this point in the season both St. Thomas University volleyball teams are on track to make the postseason.
The STU women’s volleyball team are in a precarious position. The team is sitting fourth in the Atlantic Collegiate Athletics Association (ACAA) with three games left.
Yet, they have been riding a hot streak in recent months, winning their last six matches.
The STU women’s latest win came at home on Feb. 1 against the Holland College Hurricanes.
During the game, the team came back from a deficit on multiple occasions, including a six-straight-point run, to win the final set. In the end, STU defeated their P.E.I. rivals 3-1.
Chloe Little is a fourth-year left side for the Tommies. She said the squad has been a “very strong” team as of late, feeling that they could take most teams in the league if they’re playing to the best of their abilities.
“We started the year with a new coach, which was interesting. So, a whole new set of rules and everything … And our first half did not go that well,” said Little. “It’s nice to see everything coming together.”
She said the team is satisfied and proud of where they are. However, she said the team will not be fully satisfied until they achieve the final goal, which is taking home the ACAA championship at the season’s end.
“The job’s not done,” she said.
This season was the team’s first under the guidance of head coach Kim Colpitts.
Related: “‘I couldn’t be happier’: Getting to know STU women’s volleyball head coach”
Colpitts replaced former head coach Don MacKay who coached the Tommies for 11 seasons. He left behind a legacy of success. It’s safe to say that Colpitts had some big shoes to fill this season.
Little referred to Colpitts as an “amazing coach through and through” and that her team performs for her.
“She wants this so bad. She’s very passionate about it. She believes in us, so we have to believe in ourselves or her,” said Little. “I think she really pushes us to a different level that I, in my past three years, haven’t really competed yet.”
“She really, really pushes us to be the best athletes we can, the best teammates we can and the best people we can be.”
Meanwhile, the STU men’s volleyball team is in a different predicament heading into the playoffs.
The team is sitting comfortably in second place, behind their rivals the Université Sainte-Anne (UStA) Dragons.
Like the women’s team, the men’s Tommies are on fire as of late, defeating Holland College in back-to-back home contests on Feb. 1 and 2.
STU took a back-and-forth thriller 3-2 in the first game, which included a 25-8 one-sided victory in the second set to tie the game at one apiece. The second match ended in a 3-0 sweep for the Tommies.
Nate Beaton is a second-year left side in his first season with the Tommies. The Fredericton native transferred to STU this offseason after playing last season with UStA. Beaton thinks the culture at STU is a lot different, describing his experience this season as a “brotherhood,” where everyone has each other’s back.
“I think the season’s gone really well. There’s been a lot of character-building moments for us and I think we’re getting towards the end. We’re really coming together as a team,” said Beaton. “I feel like us beating [UStA] made it seem like they’re not unbeatable, [and that] we can definitely do it.”
“We work very well together and not a lot of teams have that.”
Beaton, as well as his teammate Dallas Melnick, said the team is confident heading into the playoff push. However, both players said the team will not be fully satisfied until their ultimate goal is achieved, which is taking home the league banner.
As Melnick said, the team is “not satisfied with where we are, but we’re satisfied with where we’ve come from.”
“I think we’ve just got a lot of guys who can play well and we’ve had a decent amount of different lineups that have gone in. It’s great having a big group of guys who can all compete because when we train it’s like you’re playing both,” said Melnick, on what the key to the team’s success has been this season.
“We have two squads of six guys who could compete in this league at any given time. Not all the teams in the league can say that.”
“I think the group’s really working well together and we’re playing some good volleyball,” said Melnick.
