This week’s Flashback Friday goes to the 2012-13 women’s volleyball team.

Back: Rick Scott (head coach), Amy Appleby, Marlee Powers, Jessica Josenhans, Tara Gowan, Maggie Li, Louise Facca, Katherine Ryan (red shirt), Jon Elliott (asst. coach) Front: Blair Williams (head trainer), Petra Rafuse, Brett Hastings, Abby Czenze, Hilary Sears, Raeesa Lalani, Marisa Mota, Rachel Wright, Tara-Lynn Truant, Mikayla Kuan Veng (trainer) Missing: Patrick Murray (asst. coach), Devon Norris (strength & conditioning), Kris Andrews (strength & conditioning), Adam Mayo (trainer)

They started the season looking for their first AUS championship since 2005, to end the eight year drought and bring a championship back to Dal. With solid pre-season play, including two tournament wins, the Tigers hopes of being AUS champions were slowly becoming a reality.

The Tigers hosted an AUS-RSEQ Interlock, to begin the regular season, which pitted Dal against top tier RSEQ teams including Montreal and Laval who were ranked in the CIS Top 10 that year. The Tigers showed their grit and emerged from the Interlock with a 2-2 record with one of those losses coming from a five-set loss top the Rouge et Or. Although they split the interlock the Tigers competitive play foreshadowed the possible success later in the season.

Going into the Christmas break the Tigers recorded five-straight wins which put them at 7-2 and first place in the AUS standings. Without missing a beat, the Tigers came back after the break and kept their hot streak, to the tune of nine-straight wins, without dropping a set in the process. The Tigers ended the regular season with a 16-2 record and a CIS No.3 raking heading into the AUS championship.

 Due to the regular season success, the Tigers had a bye straight to the semifinals where they beat StFX in straight sets and moved on to the AUS final against Saint Mary’s for the second year in a row. Riding on Louise Facca’s championship player of the game performance, the Tigers won 3-0 and the AUS title. Maggie Li was selected as the championship MVP as well as a AUS first team-all star, with head coach Rick Scott taking home AUS coach of the year honours as well.

At nationals the Tigers faced stiff competition as the fifth seed. They lost in straight sets to Trinity Western and were defeated the next day 3-1 by Laval. Although not the results they had hoped for the Tigers showed improvement throughout the year and proved they were to be a threat in the years to come.

This AUS title was the first of a current fivef year streak as champions and the current women’s team looks to go for number six after starting the year 2-0.