By Kirk Jessome
The 2017-18 women’s volleyball team added another AUS championship victory to their historic six-year run after a nearly perfect season. With a fantastic mix of veteran players and young talent, the Tigers dominated the AUS all season long, finishing with a 19-1 record.
Led by fourth-year hitters Emma Ciprick and Mieke DuMont, the Tigers also added first-year sensation Julie Moore to the lineup who put together an incredible season. Moore led the AUS in kills and kills per set despite the Tigers playing the fewest sets of any team in the conference.
Moore finished sixth in the country in kills per set in her first season, earning her the title of AUS rookie of the year, and a spot on the U SPORTS all-rookie team.
Also earning national recognition was third-year setter and AUS MVP, Courtney Baker. Baker finished fourth in the country in assists per set with 9.36, and was named a first team all-Canadian.
The Tigers started their season on a tear, winning their first eight games, dropping just one set through the streak. Their only loss of the season came at the hands of Acadia in the AUS League Tournament.
The second half was more of the same for the Tigers, with 11-straight wins, they surrendered just six sets in the second half of the season.
The team was extremely efficient at turning defence into offence with first-year libero Catherine Callaghan finishing fourth in the country in digs per set. Digs, combined with the intimidating net presence of AUS first team all-star middle blocker Victoria Haworth, it was no wonder the Tigers played the fewest sets in the conference.
Their 19-1 regular season record placed the Tigers in the U SPORTS Top 10 all season long, and were ranked as high as third during the season.
At the AUS championship, the Tigers handled the host Memorial in a quick three-set match, and moved on to face Acadia in the conference final.
It was a hard-fought, five-set match, with both teams going back and forth winning sets by large margins, but the Tigers were able to take over in the fifth set with 13 kills from Ciprick, including the final point of the game to win their sixth-consecutive conference title.
The Tigers moved on to their quarter-final matchup at nationals against defending champion UBC. It was another tough, five-set match, but this time the Tigers came out on the losing end.
Getting down 10-0 in the first set, the Tigers battled back to win it 26-24 to take an early lead. The next two sets also took extra points to decide a winner, with the Tigers eventually dropping the match 3-2.
They went on to face Montreal in the consolation semifinal, and despite their best efforts, the Tigers were unable to gain any momentum against the Carabins and fell 3-0.
With all of their key pieces eligible to return next season, the Tigers will surely be dominant again at the conference level, and will look to keep moving up to contend for national medals.