Tigers fall to Huskies
Annik Boldon had a team high 10 kills for the Tigers in the loss.
The Dalhousie Tigers fell to Saint Mary's 3-1 (28-30, 25-19, 16-25, 23-25) at Daplex on Saturday.
In the first set, Saint Mary's started strong with a quick lead, capitalizing on Dalhousie's errors, including an attack error by Talia Vydykhan at 0-1. Dalhousie responded with a series of points, including a kill by Ella Hornby, evening the score to 3-3. However, Saint Mary's regained control with a 5-point streak, extending their lead to 7-3. Dalhousie managed to close the gap with a late rally, tying the score at 23-23, but Saint Mary's ultimately secured the set with a narrow 30-28 win, concluding with an attack error by Talia Vydykhan.
In the second set, Dalhousie and the opposition exchanged points early on, with Saint Mary's initially taking a 2-0 lead after an attack error by Annik Boldon. Dalhousie then responded with a series of points, including a kill by Talia Vydykhan at 3-2, and continued to build momentum with a key service ace by Talia Vydykhan, pushing the score to 13-11. Despite several errors from both sides, Dalhousie maintained their edge, highlighted by a streak of service aces from Talia Vydykhan and Kasandra Trenke, eventually securing a 25-19 victory in the set.
In the third set, both teams exchanged points early, with Ella Hornby contributing multiple kills for Dalhousie. At 4-4, Dalhousie began to pull ahead with a four-point streak, capitalizing on attack errors by Saint Mary's players, prompting a timeout at 8-4. However, Saint Mary's responded strongly, taking advantage of several attack errors by Dalhousie to initiate a 10-point run, moving the score to 20-13. Despite a late kill by Melissa Hatfield, Dalhousie struggled to regain momentum, and Saint Mary's closed the set with a 25-16 victory, aided by consistent play from Grace Blaskovits.
The fourth set saw several momentum shifts. Dalhousie initially took an early lead with a service ace by Ella Hornby, making the score 3-0. Saint Mary's responded with a series of kills and service aces, including a kill by Emilia Mikanovich at 6-6, to take control and eventually lead 13-12. Dalhousie managed to level the score at 19-19 with a kill by Ella Hornby, but Saint Mary's ultimately secured the set with a final kill by Emilia Mikanovich to win 25-23. Notable performances included several assists from Grace Blaskovits for Saint Mary's and key plays from Annik Boldon for Dalhousie.
Quinn McAleer has been a key player for Dalhousie, contributing significantly in both setting and defense, with 32 assists and 15 digs over four games. Abby Melvin has also made a noteworthy impact on defense with a team-high 16 digs. Talia Vydykhan has been effective at the service line, leading the team with four service aces, while also adding 12 digs. Annik Boldon stands out in attacking, registering 10 kills with a hitting percentage of .167, alongside contributing 10 digs. Additionally, Ella Hornby has been a consistent offensive threat, leading the team with 11 kills and a .212 hitting percentage.
The Tigers travel to UNB on January 24 for a doubleheader weekend.