Changing of guard in men's volleyball?

AUS Final | V-Reds hosting Game 1, looking to end 24-year Dal hold on title

The brief ceremony they're conducting at the Lady Beaverbrook Gym between basketball games Saturday night is designed as a salute to the history of the 70-year-old building before the court sports move into the new Richard J. Currie Center next fall.

No word on whether the proceedings will include a changing of the guard.

But that may finally be what's happening within the Atlantic University Sport men's volleyball conference.

The University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds' convincing sweep of the Dalhousie Tigers in the final two matches of the regular season last weekend represented a seismic shift in the natural order within the conference.

Now, granted, there are but three teams under the Atlantic banner, the third being the woeful Memorial SeaHawks, who have won but two matches in five years. And the Varsity Reds, by virtue of their two 3-0 sweeps of the Tigers Saturday and Sunday, only edged the Tigers by two points in the battle for the AUS pennant - UNB finishing first with an 11-6 mark, Dal a close second at 10-7.

But consider that the Tigers have been a dynasty in these parts for a generation, winning 24 AUS championships in a row, and 30 of the last 31. Note that they finished number two in the nation last year.

Now, perhaps, you recognize the significance of the V-Reds' relatively easy wins over the Tigers last weekend, wins that give them the right to host the first match in the AUS final here Friday night at 7 p.m.

The second match in the best-of-three goes Sunday in Halifax at the DalPlex, with a third set, if necessary, booked next Saturday at 2 p.m. at the venerable old gym - an environment that might just shake a few bricks loose in the old barn, should it come to that.

"This is a fantastic place to play when it's full," said V-Reds coach Dan McMorran. "It's an old school gym with an old school feel."

The place was rocking last Sunday as the V-Reds wrenched the pennant away from the Tigers in convincing fashion, winning by set scores of 25-22, 25-17, 25-17 - this on the heels of a 25-15, 25-16, 25-18 sweep the night before.

The degree of dominance even surprised McMorran.

"I don't think Dal played as well as they can play," he was saying in the aftermath.

"They made some unforced errors they usually don't make. I think a portion of that is attributed to the fact that we kept the pressure on them the entire time through. I'm surprised at the scores...they're a better team than those scores suggested.

"We've got a talented group," McMorran said. "It's been a process here, and we're continuing to improve. We've got a bunch of loyal alumni and supporters here now who are really excited about us."

Veteran Tyler Veenhuis says the V-Reds have an air of confidence now when it comes to taking on the Tigers.

"This is my fifth year, and I've never felt the confidence like I have this year...not just myself but the entire team," he said.

"It's an amazing feeling, and we've been feeling it all year. We played them in October and none of us could wait to play them again."

It was early November when the teams met in Halifax, actually, with Dal sweeping the matches 3-2 and 3-1.

Even in the 3-2 match, Dal won the first set 26-24 and the final set went OT as well, with Dal winning 16-14.

Last weekend, UNB got strong matches from second-year outside hitter Julio Fernandez, good play at the net from six-foot-eight middle player John Sheehan, and strong matches from fifth-year veterans Veenhuis and Jacob Kilpatrick.

"We executed the whole time," said Veenhuis. "There were no lapses whatsoever."

Not so for the Tigers.

"I don't think the way we played we deserved to win any sets," said Tigers coach Dan Ota.

"Unfortunately, this time of year, we've got to play a little better than that. Guys knew what was on the line. I'm not sure if we underestimated our opponent. We talked about UNB, we've got a lot of respect for their program. We knew coming into their court they were going to play well and the fans were going to be behind them."

That will likely be even moreso Friday.

"We've got to regroup," said Ota. "This is the time of year when you've got to suck it up and find a way. We know we're in for a battle now. If it wasn't obvious going into (last) weekend, it's definitely obvious now. Hats off to UNB for putting two good matches together."

Ota has seen UNB coming up in the rearview mirror.

"I think UNB's been getting better and better every year, and I think our program is at a high level as well," said Ota, a nine-time coach of the year in the conference who will likely cede that title to McMorran this year.

"I think it's a reflection of a lot of things they've been doing with their program to make themselves more competitive," Ota said. "They've spent money on getting a full-time coach, they've spent money on recruitment, they've spent money on getting good matches outside our conference. All these things are important to develop a solid program.

"I'm not sure they've arrived yet...I don't think they get nearly the respect across the country that we give them," Ota said.

"But there's no question they're a solid program, a solid team and we know we're going to have a very tough match. I just hope we can bring our 'A' game and make it a little more of a match."