(ST. JOHN'S, NL) The Dalhousie Tigers were able to grind out a hotly contested match against the UNB REDS on Sunday… 3-1 with scores of 22-25, 30-28, 29-27, 25-23.
The match was the finale of the weekend's Atlantic University Sport League Tournament, at Memorial University, in St. John's.
"It was a much better performance today, despite the result," said REDS head coach Richard Schick. "Unfortunately, we fell short in the second and third sets, but it was good to see the group respond after a subpar performance on Saturday."
The Tigers jumped out to an early lead in the opening set and would eventually find themselves ahead by a score of 22-20 late.
But the REDS were able to rally, thanks to a few crucial attacks by Meghan Vaags (Abbotsford, BC) and Sonya Nielsen (Delia, AB).
UNB won the opening set 25-22.
In the second, the REDS seemed to be on their way to another win, holding a 22-20 lead, but squandered multiple points. The Tigers would do their best to stay in the game and would tie it 28-28 before winning 30-28.
It was more of the same in the third set, with Dal falling behind early and scratching their way back, eventually taking another tight set, 29-27.
With the REDS on the brink, they put together a nearly complete set, holding leads at numerous points, but falling 25-23.
Dal's Lucy Glen-Carter (Toronto, ON) registered a game-high 18 kills while contributing significantly on defence.
Libero Alessandra Nadalini (Bedford, NS) was also impressive, consistently keeping points alive with her passing. Her 23 digs led all players in today's match.
The duo of Heather Benko (Sechelt, BC) and Kindigo Watson (Calgary, AB) proved their worth on the court, giving the opposing Tigers fits throughout the match. Benko, with 16, and Watson, with 15, led the way for UNB in kills.
"Kindigo provided a much-needed spark on defence," said Coach Schick. "On offence, she was just equally as impressive, leading us in scoring with 19-and-a-half points."
Benko was also impressive on the defensive end as well, racking up 20 digs to go with her top-tier attacking.
Jenna Adams (Truro, NS) added 19 digs, while Paige Lehto (North Vancouver, BC) had 36 assists.
The REDS are now 4-4 while the Tigers improve to 8-1.
The two teams will meet again in their next match, after the holiday season break.
The Tigers visit the REDS on Friday, January 13th, 2023. First serve is scheduled for 6:00pm that evening.
RECAP BY: Memorial Athletics
PHOTOS BY: Udantha Chandraratne/for MUN Athletics