The St. Thomas University Tommies volleyball teams played a doubleheader against the University of New Brunswick Saint John on Jan. 26 at the Lady Beaverbrook Gym. Both the men’s and women’s teams beat the Seawolves in four sets each.
Women’s game
The Tommies jumped to an early 2-0 lead in the first set. They were also two players short as both their setters were out with injuries.
As the set went back and forth with powerful spikes from the UNBSJ and strong blocks from STU, the set was a hard battled match. In the end, the Seawolves took the set 25-23 due to several serving errors on both sides.
Head coach, Don McKay wasn’t sure how this game was going to go, but was impressed by the women’s stubbornness and resilience.
“I thought the girls responded really well,” McKay said.
“We were able to pick them apart offensively.”
One rally went on so long the whole crowd was on the edge of the bleachers. Saint John got the point, but the Tommies won 25-16 with a set-winning spike from right side Krysteena Clements.
“Even if you lose it, the key is to be sure that the kids know that it was a good rally,” he said.
The next two sets were more of the same. The Seawolves couldn’t catch up. STU took the next two sets, and the match to improve their record to 7-3 record on the year.
Men’s game
The 9-1 high-flying Tommies got off to a hot start. In the first set, STU grew their lead to as much as nine with several strong hits from outside Adam McDougall. The Seawolves stormed back, but the Tommies prevailed, taking the set 25-20.
The second set started with both teams going in guns blazing. By the middle of the set, STU was in the lead, but UNBSJ struck back and took the lead. They won the set by six.
With solid defence and key blocks, STU regained their match lead by taking the next set. For outside player Christian Christie, assertiveness was key.
“The energy was really good,” Christie said.
“We wanted to serve aggressive, hit aggressive, be smart and not get too many errors.”
The Seawolves didn’t make the win easy. The last set proved to be a tug of war as both teams refused to give an inch. STU won the set by two points to clinch the match with a game-winning spike from setter Henry Doucet.
