Axewomen Chop Down REDS

(WOLFVILLE, NS) The Acadia Axewomen scored a 3-1 win over the UNB REDS on Saturday, completing a surprising weekend sweep. Acadia won with scores of 25-20, 21-25, 25-20 and 25-23.

"It was another tough one for our group," said REDS head coach Richard Schick. "Although we played a little better today, and there were some runs and good plays, we still struggled to find consistency in our game, especially at the end of sets."

Axewomen Erica Fisher (Middle Stewiacke, NS) and Sydney Zakutney (Ottawa, ON) led Acadia with eight kills each while teammates Rebecca Dorsey (Toronto, ON) and Taylor Witty (Dartmouth, NS) helped defend the REDS with 23 and 21 digs respectively.

Immediately out to a 6-3 lead, the Axewomen hung on tight, defending a string of kills by Emma  Burns (Fredericton, NB), Isla Olesen (Calgary, AB), and Paige Lehto (North Vancouver, BC).

Tied at 7-7, the Axewomen pushed out to a second lead that would be muted again at 18-17 by the REDS. An attack error compounded by a service error gave the opening set to the Axewomen, 25-20.

The REDS proved their high ranking in the AUS Coaches Poll with a 25-21 second set win. From start to finish in the set, the REDS held on to a lead or were tied with Acadia.

Acadia would capture an important third game, 25-20 win to push the match to a fourth set.

Paige Snell (Markham, ON), who was named the Subway Player of the Game, earned her title with a string of service aces in the final set. Snell's two aces tied the set at 13.

With the lead changing hands three times, the Axewomen finally held an advantage in the home stretch after tying the match at 22 on a Jenna Lake (Conception Bay South, NL) kill. A block by Snell would end the set at 25-23.

Lydia Green (Bedford, NS) posted a team-high 10 kills and a 0.735 hitting percentage for the REDS. Burns recorded nine kills. On the defensive side, Jenna Adams (Truro, NS) had 25 digs.

"We had better performances from some individuals, but we didn't have everyone on the same page enough to get the result," said Coach Schick.

The Axewomen will be on the road for the next four matches, at Memorial and Moncton.

UNB hosts Moncton this coming Friday, at 7:00 pm.

RECAP BY: Eric Cederberg/Acadia Athletics

PHOTOS BY: Peter Oleskevich/for Acadia Athletics