The St. Thomas University women’s and men’s volleyball teams won both games in hard fought battles on Feb 16. The women’s team got a smooth win against Mount Allison University 3-1, while the men fought the University of New Brunswick Saint John in a tight 3-2 game.
Second-year player Jenicca Jean, said the women’s team came together to get the victory.
“Everybody knew their role and what we needed to do, and we executed on that very well so we are very happy with that,” said Jean.
The first set against the Mount A Mounties was filled with quick saves, allowing the Tommies to tie up the score near the end of the set. The final point was lost to a missed serve by STU, causing the women’s team to lose their first set with a close score of 25-23.
The Tommies pushed hard in the second set with straight hits and consecutive points. The team made their comeback, finishing the set with a score of 25-14.
The third set was a close call for the Tommies, as the score remained tight. They won the set 26-24 after Hannah Millier scored the final point with a serve that barely tipped over the net.
The first half of the final set was led by STU 10-8. The Tommies played aggressively with hits made across the court. STU won the set 25-18, taking home the victory for their final home game of the season 3-1.
Women’s coach Don McKay was proud of the women’s consistent passing, but was worried about their blocking.
“There were a few moments when I was a little worried about the blocking, but that’s starting to come as well. So all in all, it was a pretty good effort,” said McKay.
The men’s team started their game against the UNBSJ Seawolves strong with Garrett Dickson scoring the first point. The men quickly took the lead with powerful hits, and then the win, taking the set 25-16.
STU faced a setback, starting off weak in the second set. Some great saves were made, but the Tommies couldn’t get back on track and lost the set 25-17.
The team made a comeback in the third set, with lots of blocking and saves. Weak serving from UNBSJ gave STU more points, including the final serve in the third set by UNBSJ, giving STU the win 25-16.
The Tommies scored the first point in the fourth set, but the opposing team didn’t give in. The teams faced off, keeping the score close, but the fourth set went to UNBSJ 27-25.
In the final set, the Tommies led the first half. Tommie Christian Christie scored the final point of the game, giving STU the set 15-8 and the win 3-2.
Henri Mallet, the men’s volleyball coach, said the win was a good way to end the season.
“We served tough and put them in a difficult situation,” Mallet said.
“I wish our blocking was better – our blocking just wasn’t existent today, so it kind of let them off the hook way too easily.”
