Written by Thomas Scott
The Dalhousie Tigers finished the season 2-14 this season. However, with injuries to some of Dal’s best players, head coach Dan Ota is optimistic about the team in one of the nation’s most competitive conferences.
“We took an important step forward. We're generally a much more competitive team,” says Ota. “Unfortunately, the record doesn't reflect that, but we’re moving in the right direction with this group, considering we will probably still be the youngest team in the conference next season.”
The Tigers opened the season against Sherbrooke Vert & Or, losing both matches 3-0. It was a tough way to open the season against the nation's first-ranked team.
Dal then headed home to host the UNB Reds at Dalplex. Losing the first match 3-0, the Tigers would look to rebut the day after in a re-match. Showing resiliency, the Tigers won the match 3-1 with a game-high 23 kills from Michael Donovan.
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Donovan was consistent for Dal this season, finishing sixth in kills per set in the nation and second in the RSEQ. Despite injuries, Ota is impressed with his play and says he is certainly one of the conference’s top players, if not among the country’s best. He had two 20-plus kill games in the span of a week in November. The first was on November 4 in a 3-1 victory over UNB, when Donovan finished the match with 23 kills. Six days later, he scored 24 kills in a 3-1 win over Montreal. A slump hit the Tigers at the end of the semester, as they lost the second set of a back-to-back against Montreal and two games against Laval. |
The slump continued as the Tigers lost six straight matches in the second semester.
Jacob Oyler was impressive in November, achieving 10 kills in four individual matches. Against the UNB Reds on November 4, the outside hitter from Halifax, N.S., tallied 18 kills in the 3-1 victory.
In February, Oyler heated up yet again, posting over 10 kills in three of the four games.
“He started to create some balance in our offence,” says Ota. “That was really important for Donovan’s performance because teams couldn't just focus on our top player.”
Another young player that could have a bright future for the Tigers is Tyler Wiseman. The Clarenville, NL native played in 13 of the Tigers 16 games this season, recording 19 kills.
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Dal has plenty of pieces to build for the future without a single player past their third year of eligibility locked in on the roster and Sartaj Sidhu the lone Tiger graduating this season. "They're a resilient bunch. They always stay in the fight,” says Ota. “I'm really looking forward to seeing what these guys can accomplish next season.” Donovan took home the team’s MVP award for the third-straight season. Sartaj Sidhu was named their Tiger of the Year. Assistant coach Matthew Donovan was named co-volunteer of the year. |