The Tommies volleyball teams both picked up victories on Saturday, Jan. 21 on home court.
The St. Thomas University men (5-3) shut out the Université Sainte-Anne Dragons 3-0 Saturday afternoon.
The win for the STU men came on the heels of the Tommies women (5-8) defeating the Dalhousie Agricultural Campus Rams 3-1.
The men’s team snapped a three-game skid on Saturday, while the STU women extended its win streak to three matches with the triumph over Dal AC.
Tommies men overcome Dragons
Most of the men’s match looked pretty lopsided, as STU took the first set 25-8 before winning 25-19 and 25-16 in the next two.
The Tommies enjoyed a seven-point run midway through the opening set and later in the frame to go up 1-0 on the match before the Dragons (0-10) saw some life with four straight points of its own early in the second.
STU kept fighting back, however, and the Tommies eventually regained the lead and didn’t look back.
The closing set started back-and-forth, and the early momentum was with Sainte-Anne, but STU got back into the contest with a four-point run that put the Tommies back in the driver’s seat shortly after.
The remainder of the match was mostly STU.
Stephane Blinn led the Tommies with 15 kills and three digs in the winning effort, while Nathan Brown added eight digs. Jonah Burridge also recorded five digs for STU.
Alex Arsenault notched 17 assists for the Dragons, while Anthony Jacques contributed 10 kills and two digs. Michael Mahoney had five digs for Sainte-Anne.
STU women down Rams at home
The Tommies prevailed 25-15 in the first set, but the Rams rebounded in the second to win 25-23. STU went on to win the following two sets 25-22 and 25-14.
The lead shifted both ways early in the opening game, but a couple of four-point runs for STU put the set out of= reach for Dal AC.
It was more of the same at the start of the second, but the Rams overcame a late four-point deficit to tie the match.
STU fought back in a close third set, and neither team was able to take it and run with it.
The Tommies came out on top despite the Rams’ late four-point run that pulled them within two points of STU.
In the fourth, Dal AC proceeded to start strong and take a 9-6 lead, but STU put up 11 points in a row for a cushion that proved to be insurmountable for the Rams at that stage of the match.
Jessica Barna posted 15 kills and four digs to pace the Tommies’ attack, while Deidra Jones had eight kills, an assist and 13 digs.
Olivia Ormond and Megan Mills each chipped in with nine digs for STU.
The Rams were led by Thea McLachlin’s 18 kills, three service aces and 11 digs. Katherine Lahey dug 13 times for Dal AC, while Xenna Mazal had two kills, a helper, three service aces and nine digs.
The Tommies return to action Saturday, Jan. 28, when STU hosts the Holland College Hurricanes at Lady Beaverbrook Gym. First serve is set for 6 p.m. for the women and 8 p.m. for the men.
The STU and Holland College men will also face off Sunday, Jan. 29, at noon in Fredericton.
