Game recap by Kirk Jessome
(Halifax, NS) – In the second game of a back to back, the Dalhousie Tigers hosted the Université de Sherbrooke Vert et Or. The Tigers offense was quiet in this one, as the Vert et Or were able to take the straight-set, 3-0 win.
The Vert et Or got off to a hot start in the match thanks to back to back kills from Mark Messier (Laval, QC) and a pair of aces from Laurent Duval-Demers (Candiac, QC) to create a 7-1 lead to start the match.
The Tigers were able to get their offense going with attacks from Andrew Arseneau (Dartmouth, NS) and Graham Schmuland (Calgary, AB), but Sherbrooke held a 16-8 lead at the technical break.
Carrying that momentum through the timeout, the Vert et Or made quick work of the first set with Raphael Viens (Saint-Alphonse-de-Granby, QC) leading them to a 25-13 win.
Once again, Viens and Messier pushed their team ahead to an early 9-2 lead with some hard-swinging kills in the opening points.
The Tigers put together a surge before the technical break, with Alec Cottreau (Yarmouth, NS) picking up three kills, but a big block from Messier and Viens sent the teams into the technical timeout with the Vert et Or leading 16-9.
Trading short runs in the back-half of the set, the Tigers fought to stay alive in the set, but the lead proved to be too great as Viens hammered home three-straight kills for Sherbrooke to help them to a 25-18 win in the set to take a commanding 2-0 lead over the Tigers.
Finally, the Tigers were able to come out with energy to start a set, as their offense began to get to work, with Evan West (Ilderton, ON) sending home back to back kills, followed by an incredible string of serving from Cottreau with four service aces.
The Vert et Or didn't allow the momentum to swing too far, however, as they picked up six-straight points to go into the technical break leading 16-14 on another kill from Viens.
The young hitters of the Tigers continued to work in the set, with Arseneau and West leading the way, but the Vert et Or were able to hold their lead and with a final swing from Duval-Demers, they took the straight-set victory in the match with a 25-23 win in the third set.
Tigers rookie Alec Cottreau led his team's offense, picking up six kills and four service aces, while Raphael Viens led the Vert et Or to victory with his game-high 12 kills. Setter Samuel Couturier (Amqui, QC) was also outstanding for the Vert et Or, assisting on 32 of his team's 37 kills in the match.
The teams will have time off for the Winter Break and will come back for a rematch series at Sherbrooke on January 10th.