The St. Thomas University men’s and women’s volleyball teams held their ground against the Holland College Hurricanes in a double-win on Nov. 24.
The women’s team played first and started off strong with a 3-0 lead in the first set. They led for the majority of the game with the Hurricanes always following a couple points behind.
It proved to be a close set with many quick exchanges across the court. The Tommies had strong serves and saves throughout while the Hurricanes saw some serves go out of bounds.
In the second set, the Tommies took an early lead as the Hurricanes serves fell short.
But the Hurricanes caught up when the Tommies slipped up on their serving.
The second set wasn’t strong for either team, but the Tommies managed to win 25-22.
The third set proved to be a better performance for both teams as they reached their final match. Even though the Tommies fell behind for the first time in the game, they soon gained the lead again with a couple of well-coordinated serves and teamwork.
During the final set, both teams battled it out over multiple ties as the Tommies and the Hurricanes consistently alternated the lead throughout the middle of the set. The Tommies won the set 25-23 giving them a 3-0 game win.
The men’s game against the Hurricanes started off with the Tommies lagging behind with a score of 4-8 but they soon surged to take the lead. Nearing the end of the set, the Hurricanes surged back, making it a tied match at 21-21 and a battle for a win with the score tied at 24- 24. After an intense few minutes, the Tommies won the set at 27-25.
In the second set, the Tommies scored their first point with an unreturned serve by the Hurricanes, establishing a comfortable lead for the rest of the set which ended 25-21.
The third set closed the game nicely for the Tommies. With a good defence, the team led comfortably, which they held with a final set score of 25-21, giving them a 3-0 win.
Men’s volleyball coach Henri Mallet said for him, the game was up and down but every week the team is progressing.
“When it came to executing some important plays at important parts of the game, we did that. We got the 3-0 win and that’s really what counts at the end of the day,” said Mallet.
“We’re taking it one day at a time. Every practice we’re telling guys we’ve got to move the marker ahead and we’ve been doing that and it’s not always pretty when it comes game time, but we’re finding ways to win. I think that shows the character of our team.”
The four teams played again the following day. The women’s team lost 3-2 while the men’s team won 3-1.
