Men’s volleyball lose set, win six following
It was nothing more than an unexpected hiccup for Dal’s men’s volleyball team.
Memorial may have drawn first blood this past weekend with a victory in the opening set of Dalhousie’s two-game homestand, but the Tigers discontinued that practice in a hurry, sweeping the following six sets.
The Tigers added to their season standing with two victories, dropping the Seahawks 3 – 1 Nov. 19 in their home opener and 3 – 0 the following day. Dal’s record is now 4 – 3. As is often the case, Memorial is winless. The Seahawks haven’t won a meaningful league game since playing McGill at a Quebec interlock tournament on Nov. 20, 2009.
Tigers head coach Dan Ota explains it’s a testament to his team that they kept composed after losing the first set.
“We could have panicked because, you know, that’s a team we’ve had a lot of success with over the years,” he said. “And, I mean, anytime you lose in that situation, especially at home, I think it’s very natural to kind of question yourself and panic a bit.”
Ota’s team wasn’t fazed by their opening set tumble as they would turn it around. The Tigers did quick work of the second and third sets to take a 2 – 1 advantage before limping through the fourth and final set to take the victory. The scores were 22 – 25, 25 – 16, 25 – 17 and 25 – 21.
“Memorial made a few mistakes in the second and third set and I think that made winning those sets a little easier on us,” said Ota. “We just started executing a little better.”
Ota commended the performance of his setter Angus Rhuland, who returned for his first match this season after recuperating from a dislocated shoulder.
Kenneth Rauwerda led the way for Dal with 18 kills. Andrew Stepehens had 13 kills for the visitors.
Less than 24 hours later, the two teams met again for an afternoon match that while close, never seemed in doubt for a better Dal outfit.
The Tigers would lay a beating on the Seahawks in straight sets, coming out on top 3 – 0. Game scores were 25 – 16, 25 – 19 and 25 – 20.
In a striking similarity to the match beforehand, Memorial made the final set an interesting one as they tried to close the deficit, but their attempts were thwarted. Seahawks head coach Luke Harris believes Dal’s balanced attack was key to Memorial’s defeat.
“They’re a tough serving team and to go up against that calibre of a team and pass that well, I thought was great,” said Harris, “but ultimately I think their high-powered offence was too much for us all weekend.”
Daniel Bremner and Rauwerda had the most kills that match for Dal with 14 and 12, respectively.
Although victories against the Seahawks have been commonplace in past seasons, the challenge that Memorial offered this weekend proves, as Ota says, that times are changing for the better in the AUS.
“Isn’t that exactly what we want? People used to joke that we had an automatic ticket to nationals every year and obviously last year that wasn’t the case,” said Ota, referencing the end of Dal’s 24-year stranglehold on the AUS crown after UNB won.
“[Moncton] had a lot of the same players they had the year before, but they had a little more experience and a little more maturity in their game. They looked like they were going to be a tougher team to beat and they certainly showed me that tonight.”
Before Saturday’s home opener, there was a moment of silence in honour of Howard Jackson, a FIVB international referee, who passed away late last week. He was a huge supporter of player, coach and referee development for the sport in Nova Scotia. Jackson was also an assistant coach with Dal’s women’s volleyball team in 83-84.
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