Women’s volleyball wins third-straight AUS championship

They did it again.

The Dalhousie women’s volleyball team are the champions for their third year in a row, beating the Saint Mary’s Huskies three sets to one at the Richard J. Currie Centre in Fredericton.

The Tigers finished second overall in the AUS to lead them into the playoffs with a free pass into the semifinals.

Semifinal Saturday.

They played a nail-biting five-set match against UNB in the semifinal, against the home crowd advantage, against the brutal storm brewing outside.

The Tigers can face adversity. No distractions. Constant focus.

Dal won the first set 25-16 with ease. UNB climbed back, winning the second set 25-21 and the third 25-22. The Tigers played the fourth with a dominant performance, winning the set 25-9. Finally, they finished off the Varsity Red’s 15-12 in the fifth set.

Championship Sunday.

That brings us to final match of the weekend.

A battle between the rivals: the Tigers and the Huskies.

There was no question in the first set when the Tigers were up 10-3, that they would win the first set 25-17. As the competitors that they are, the Huskies battled back to win a tight 26-24 set. The Tigers, defending their championship title from the past two years, answered the call and won 25-20 in the third and fourth sets.

Shoutout performances in the championship game:

Anna Dunn Suen led the team with 15 kills.

Jessica Josenhans, named to the AUS second all-star team, had five blocks.

Marisa Mota, the AUS libero of the year, racked up 22 digs in the final game.

Alexandra Hudson had five service aces, one of which was the championship point in the fourth set.

The Tigers will compete at the CIS championships at the University of Toronto on Feb. 26, taking on the hometown Varsity Blues.