Tigers Blank Varsity Reds

(FREDERICTON, NB) The first place Dalhousie Tigers scored a straight sets win over the UNB Varsity Reds on Saturday evening.

The Tigers took a 3-0 win with scores of 25-14, 25-16 and 25-20.

The Tigers were led by third year setter Courtney Baker(Bridgewater, NS), who recorded a match-high 29 serve assists. She was named Subway Player of the Match.

Julia Moore(Halifax, NS) had 11 kills for Dalhousie, while Catherine Callaghan(Halifax, NS) had 14 digs.

Melika Belliveau(Shediac, NB) led the Varsity Reds with a match-high 13 kills. She also contributed seven digs.

Paige Lehto(North Vancouver, BC) recorded 23 serve assists, while Adora Rooyakkers(Port Hawkesbury, NS) registered 10 digs.

The Tigers are now 12-1, while the Varsity Reds are 0-15.

"We never take any team lightly," said Baker. "We might've given them a few points in the third set, we kind of let them back in the game. If we'd kept our serves tough, it might've been more challenging for them to get close."

The Varsity Reds looked to establish home court advantage in the first set, building a quick 3-0 lead. But, the Tigers roared back, tying the set 4-4 before taking a 10-6 lead.

Three separate 3-0 runs by Dal were too much for the Varsity Reds to handle, and the Tigers took the first set 25-14.

It was close early in the second set, with neither team pulling out to significant leads until Lauren Koskowich(Calgary, AB) served four straight points for Dal, giving the Tigers an 8-4 lead.

Another 4-0 run drove the Dal lead to 16-8, and they won the second set 25-16.

With Kristen Burns(Mississauga, ON) serving, the Varsity Reds took a 6-3 lead on a 5-0 run early in the third set.

The Tigers bettered that with a 6-0 run, moving ahead 13-11.

UNB would keep it close, but Dal won the third set 25-20, taking the match 3-0.

"We kept up and the scores don't reflect how we played. They don't reflect our effort or our attitude," said Belliveau.

The Varsity Reds host the Tigers again on Sunday. First serve is scheduled for 1:00pm.

"We need to think about where we could've played better and we need to stay aggressive and keep our motivation and effort levels high," said Belliveau.

RECAP AND PHOTOS BY: Andy Campbell/UNB Athletics