Three minutes was how short the span was Feb. 19 to determine AUS volleyball glory. For Dalhousie, involved in the men’s and women’s finals, a 1 – 1 record is something to brag about.
The afternoon didn’t begin so great, however, as the women lost to what was simply a more dominant team. The nation’s second best team, the Saint Mary’s Huskies, won their fourth title in seven years with a 3 – 1 triumph over the Tigers in Moncton.
Minutes later, at 3:51 p.m., the men’s team turned Dal’s fortunes for the better, winning a championship match that was never in doubt. They swept the defending champion UNB Varsity Reds in two games to recover the AUS banner in Fredericton.
Men’s squad tames AUS
While Saint Mary’s women’s team was beyond jubilant after winning their banner, Dal’s men’s team was a lot more controlled. They looked like a team who had won a title before, and, in fact, they have. 24 in the past 25 years, to be exact. This year’s championship, however, meant a lot to the group. The Tigers got redemption.
“The way they responded after the match on Sunday, I thought, was perfect,” said Tigers head coach Dan Ota at the team’s first practice after the finals last Wednesday. “Every championship is obviously special, but after losing last year I’m sure no one is taking any of these for granted, and that’s good. I’m glad they’ll value this and not just see it as a step they have to take on the way to nationals.”
Dal got the redemption they were looking for, sweeping the Varsity Reds in two straight games. After a 3 – 1 defeat earlier that weekend at the Dalplex, UNB fell to the same 3 – 1 score in their own gym.
Game 2 was a close match until UNB basically gave up in the fourth set. After taking the opening frame, UNB evened the contest in the second set, winning the nail-biter 26 – 24. The Tigers, however, would not lose another, coming out on top 25 – 19 and 25 – 20 to win the title.
“I always felt throughout the final match, and even leading up to it, that we were going to control how the match went and our play was going to dictate the outcome,” said Ota. “I told our guys that we may have to wait for our opportunities to get the separation to win the game and that’s exactly what ended up happening.”
This year’s victory is extra sweet for Dal considering the shock last year’s defeat brought. UNB stealing the AUS banner snapped Dal’s 24-year reign on top of the conference.
“After winning I started really thinking a lot about all the events that came last year and how I felt after that and how much better it felt to actually win,” said graduating left side Graeme Higgins. “This is a really good feeling.”
The Tigers have now turned their focus to nationals. The sole Atlantic representative will face the country’s top seeded team and the reigning national champion Trinity Western Spartans in the quarterfinals Mar. 2.
The bout will be a challenge for the Tigers, but they say they are ready for it.
“I think a lot of teams are going to underestimate us, and rightfully so, we haven’t had the best track record,” said setter Angus Rhuland. “But we’re peaking at the right time.”
Women tumble in championship
In the end, Dal’s women’s volleyball team was not meant to take home the AUS banner.
The Tigers came into the championship against Saint Mary’s as underdogs, and they left the court as such, losing to the superior team. The Huskies deservingly won the league crown with a 3 – 1 triumph Feb. 19.
“It’s disappointing because we had a really good team,” said captain Kirstie Shepherd. “but sometimes it doesn’t work out your way.”
Winning the championship helps right a wrong for Saint Mary’s. The league-leading Huskies were surprisingly upset in the 2011 final to UNB and were obviously motivated to avoid the same fate against Dal.
While the Huskies have been near the top of the conference table for years, it’s a new phenomenon for the Tigers. The black and gold have steadily improved under the watch of head coach Rick Scott, now in his fourth season. After missing the playoffs for the third consecutive year in 2009, Dal has seen better results in each subsequent campaign.
The team’s “night and day” improvement has not gone unnoticed by Shepherd. The graduating senior was given the floor after the final match to say a few words to her teammates.
“I told the girls that I didn’t want to play with anybody else in the world. I was so proud of them,” she said. “They knew how much this game meant to us [graduating players], and they really wanted to win it for us.”
Along with Shepherd, the Tigers will also bid farewell to fourth-years Courtney Giesbrecht and Lauren Smith.
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