Tigers win senior-day matchup 3-1 over Axewomen

Game recap by: Kirk Jessome

(Halifax, NS) – In the second game of the Dalhousie Tigers alumni weekend, they hosted the Acadia Axewomen for matinee action on Saturday. After a tight first three sets, the Tigers were able to take over in the fourth and come away with a 3-1 win in their final home game.

After a tight start to the first set, the Tigers were able to capitalize on a string of errors by the Axewomen and a kill from Victoria Turcot on the outside gave the Tigers a 10-5 advantage.

Lucy Glen-Carter (Toronto, ON) led the attack for the Axewomen as they started to climb back into the set, but the Tigers defence stepped up in the middle of the set and a big block from Turcot and Lauren Koskowich (Calgary, AB) gave the Tigers a 16-10 lead at the technical break.

Turcot and Courtney Baker (Bridgewater, NS) each picked up a solo block out of the break to extend their lead, but the Axewomen refused to go away in the set, with Lauryn Renzella (Stouffville, ON) sending home back to back kills.

Just as the Axewomen were closing the gap, Baker and Koskowich got in on one more block to finish off the 25-20 win in the opening set.

The Tigers continued to be a presence at the net, opening the set with back to back blocks from Victoria Haworth (Waverly, NS) and Julie Moore (Halifax, NS), with Moore also picking up a kill and an ace.

The Tigers built a lead early, but the Axewomen came storming back in the set with Peyton DeWolfe (Conquerall Mills, NS) leading the attack with five kills in the set at the technical break. A service ace from Regan Herrington (Georgina, ON) sent the Axewomen into timeout with a 16-11 lead.

The Tigers fought to keep it close in the second half of the set, but came out on the wrong side a few long rallies with hits from Moore going just long, and another ace from Herrington gave the Axewomen the 25-20 win in the second set to tie it up.

The Axewomen carried that momentum into the third set, with DeWolfe and Renzella taking hard swings to give their team an early lead, forcing a timeout from the Tigers.

Regrouping after the timeout, the Tigers clawed their way back into the set with Mieke DuMont (Kamloops, BC) taking over the attack and helping the Tigers take over the lead, going into the break up 16-9.

Renzella and Jamie Crocket (Stellarton, NS) kept it close after the timeout, but the Tigers picked up 5 straight points at the end of the set with two of them coming off the hand of Hannah Aldcorn (Calgary, AB) to close out the third set at 25-19.

The Tigers attack was aggressive in the third set, picking up 7 points and an ace in their first 13 points of the set with Turcot and DuMont leading the way.

The Tigers attack carried them into the technical timeout, leading 16-5 over the Axewomen.

The Tigers made quick work of closing out the set with Haworth and Moore taking care of the Tigers attack, and with an attack from Lucy Glen-Carter sailing long, the Tigers were able to take the 25-13 win in the fourth set and the 3-1 victory in the match.

Peyton DeWolfe led the attack for the Axewomen with 12 kills, while her teammate Lucy Glen-Carter finished with 11 kills and 16 digs in a great performance. Mieke DuMont led the Tigers in her final home game with 17 kills and 14 digs, while Courtney Baker was named the Subway Player of the Game with 40 assists and 18 digs.

Post-game, the Tigers honoured their graduating players, Lauren Koskowich, Alyssa Harding (Markham, ON) and Mieke DuMont.

The Tigers are back on the court next Friday on the road against UNB while the Axewomen will close out their season next Friday when they face Saint Mary's.