Tigers beat Sea-Hawks to wrap up regular season

The Dalhousie Tigers defeated Memorial Sea-Hawks in a five-set match, 3-2, on Saturday, at Dalplex.

In the first set of the match between Dalhousie and the Sea-Hawks, Dalhousie initially took a 3-0 lead with contributions from Elisabeth Heroux Rhymes and Paris Stewart. The Sea-Hawks responded with a run to tie the game at 5-5, highlighted by kills from Courtney Hodder and Ashlynn Harris. Midway through the set, the teams were locked in a tight battle, with Dalhousie reclaiming a brief lead at 10-9 after a kill by Melissa Hatfield. However, the Sea-Hawks pulled away with a series of points, including a four-point streak starting at 16-13, featuring a service ace from Taylar Johnston, eventually winning the set 25-14.

In the second set, Dalhousie began with a quick lead, scoring the first two points, but the Sea-Hawks responded with a four-point streak, including a service ace by Nella Woelfel, to make it 4-2. The teams exchanged points, with Dalhousie tying the score at 9-9 after a series of errors by the Sea-Hawks, including an attack error by Nella Woelfel. The Sea-Hawks then regained momentum, drawing ahead 18-16 after a series of successful plays, including a kill by Courtney Hodder. Despite Dalhousie's efforts to level the score at 20-20, the Sea-Hawks closed the set with a decisive five-point run, highlighted by kills from Lydia Grawer and Nella Woelfel, to win the set 25-21.

In the third set, Dalhousie secured a win with a score of 25-20 against the Sea-Hawks. The set began with the Sea-Hawks taking an early lead at 2-0, but Dalhousie quickly equalized the score. Dalhousie then gained momentum with a series of successful plays including a five-point streak from 4-9 to 4-14, highlighted by kills from Grace Calnan and Kirsty Longino and an attack error by the Sea-Hawks' Courtney Hodder. The Sea-Hawks called a timeout at 9-4, but Dalhousie maintained their lead throughout the set, finally clinching the victory with a kill by Talia Vydykhan assisted by Kirsty Longino.

In the fourth set between Dalhousie and the Sea-Hawks, the game began with an attack error by Melissa Hatfield, giving the Sea-Hawks the initial point. Dalhousie responded with a kill by Kasandra Trenke, assisted by Kirsty Longino, to even the score at 1-1. The Sea-Hawks capitalized on a series of Dalhousie errors, including a service error by Kirsty Longino and attack errors by both Talia Vydykhan and Melissa Hatfield, to take a 6-3 lead. Dalhousie then called a timeout, after which they began to close the gap with Talia Vydykhan contributing two consecutive service aces to level the score at 9-9. The teams exchanged points closely until Dalhousie pulled ahead with a service ace by Melissa Hatfield and a kill by Paris Stewart, leading to a 17-14 advantage. The Sea-Hawks attempted a comeback with a service ace by Lydia Grawer, but Dalhousie's consistent performance, including kills by Kasandra Trenke and Grace Calnan, secured a 25-21 victory in the set.

The fifth set of the match between Dalhousie and the Sea-Hawks saw a series of back-and-forth plays, ultimately resulting in Dalhousie's 18-16 victory. The Sea-Hawks started strong with Lydia Grawer securing two early points, including a service ace at the beginning of the set, leading to a Dalhousie timeout at 9-5. Dalhousie responded with a series of successful plays, including kills by Talia Vydykhan and Paris Stewart, narrowing the gap to 12-12. The set concluded with Dalhousie staging a comeback, featuring important contributions from Annik Boldon and Melissa Hatfield, who each secured key points, allowing Dalhousie to clinch the set.

Abby Melvin led the team in digs with 17 over 5 games, highlighting her defensive contributions. Kirsty Longino had an impressive attack percentage of 1.000, with 4 kills on 4 attempts, and also recorded 30 assists, showcasing her dual role in setting and attacking over 4 games. Melissa Hatfield accumulated the most points for the team with 15.5, stemming from her 14 kills and solid performance across 5 games. Grace Calnan boasted a high attack percentage of .476 with 12 kills on 21 attempts, contributing 14 points over 5 games. These players were pivotal in their respective roles for Dalhousie.

With the win the Tigers clinch the first overall seed heading into playoff next weekend.