RECAP BY: Ethan Hunt
(Halifax, NS) - The Dalhousie Tigers beat the Montreal Carabins 3-0 Friday night at the Dalplex in Halifax, NS.
Dalhousie scored the first point of the set off of a lengthy rally until Michael Donovan (London, ON) spiked it off the Montreal's blockers and out, and were able to have an early 5-2 lead.
Dalhousie extended their lead to 20-9 off of two Donovan aces, but the Carabins slowly grew momentum off of two kills by Simon Coulet (Aubenas, FRA), but a combined block by Patrick Beresford (Mount Pearl, NL) and Wiseman won the Tigers the first set.
The second set was tight, but a cheeky shot by Alexis Tournier (Gatineau, QUE) and a big block made it a 7-4 lead for Montreal.
The Tigers clawed back to make it a 15-15 tie, but Tournier used a block and spiked down a kill to reignite their short lead, and force a DAL timeout.
Montreal matched that with a jaw dropping dig by libero Dan Dahr (Valley, NS), and a net violation by DAL would extend the lead to 19-15, but the Tigers fought back with a one handed dig by DeYoung, a kill by Jacob Oyler (Halifax, NS), and a block by Lucas Condon-Oldreive (Porters Lake, NS) would lead to DAL tying it at 19.
The teams made it a 24-22 score, but a faulty serve by a Carabins player would win the set to put the Tigers up 2-0.
Montreal got out to an early lead, but the Tigers fought back off of two kills by Donovan to make it a 7-6 lead for the Carabins .
The Carabins built their lead back to 11-8 off of two blocks by Moïse B. Datus (Montreal, QUE) and a kill by Coulet that forced the Tigers to take a timeout.
The teams traded points to make it a 16-12 lead for the Carabins, and they extended their lead to 20-12 off a kill from Tournier.
Datus' ferocious kill, and a net violation by DAL ended the set with a win for the Carabins, and they were back in the game down a single set.
The teams traded the first eight points of the new set, but a kill by Donovan, and Montreal reaching over the net gave the Tigers a 11-9 lead.
The Carabins came back to make it even at 15 after a kill by Coulet, after Dutas' serve could not be handled by Dalhousie.
The teams traded the next four points, but an electric kill by Condon-Oldreive, and another by Oyler gave the Tigers a 21-19 lead.
The Tigers would keep momentum, and off of a net violation, they came out victorious 25-21.
The two teams will face off again the next day at the Dalplex.
PHOTO BY: Nick Pearce